Agronomists agree that harvest timing is critical to silage quality.

And this season presents its own unique set of challenges, given that most of Minnesota had too much rain, uneven emergence and cool early-season temperatures.

Corn fields harvested at 60% to 70% moisture help ensure proper fermentation, says Dan Matzek, an agronomist with Legend Sales. However, to achieve optimal silage quality this year, Matzek encourages growers to implement two staging tests in order to determine if a field is ready to chop.

Corn Moisture Critical For Quality Silage

The first is test is basic: Snap an ear in half and look at the kernel's milk line. When the milk line hits the middle of the kernel, the entire plant has typically reached 65% to 70% moisture. Check ears from several plants throughout the field to determine a field moisture average.

The second test involves a bit more effort and a wood chipper.

"Pull three plants from three different areas in the field and chop them. Then pull a sub sample of the chopped plants and dry that sample, then weight it again to get the percent moisture. Recheck a sample of the chopped silage when you are ready to start chopping," he said.

By using both of these methods, growers can safely determine the field's moisture level.

"The more samples you take, the more accurate your moisture assessment will be," Matzek says.

The exception would be in fields where there is a significant gap between planting dates, or in fields where portions needed to be replanted.

"In those cases, I encourage growers to harvest the different planting dates at different times so that the moisture content is not more than 72%," he says.

Matzek adds that farmers may want to consider a live bacteria silage inoculant, too. An inoculant helps preserve nutrients and overall quality of the harvested plant you harvested.