Considering all the rain the past few weeks, especially in Pennsylvania, many farmers are in a holding pattern waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate before harvesting corn silage.

Even so, this is the season for chopping, and timing is the most important thing to remember when it comes to harvesting at the ideal moisture content.

Here are five tips to ensure your corn silage harvest goes smoothly and you get good results:

1. Ideal moisture is between 55% and 70%
This depends on how it is going to be stored. According to Penn State Extension, recommended moisture contents are 65% to 70% for horizontal silos, 63% to 68% for conventional tower silos, 55% to 60% for limited-oxygen silos and 65% for silo bags.

A commercial forage moisture tester or microwave oven can be used to determine moisture content.

2. Finer particles promote better packing
According to Extension forage specialist Jessica Williamson, decreasing length of cut and creating a finer particle helps promote better packing and increases the digestibility of the kernel. But when the particle size is smaller as a result of the finer chop, rations should be modified to ensure adequate digestive fiber.

3. Water can help, but apply evenly
Williamson says water can be uniformly added to dry silage to increase moisture content and aid in proper fermentation. When adding water to silage, the fill rate of most silos should be slowed to ensure uniform water distribution.

4. Inoculant use should be monitored
Liquid inoculant additives can be used to promote aerobic stability, such as propionic acid and Lactobacillus buchneri, and decrease mold growth, Williamson says. But they should be added at concentrations based on the manufacturer's instructions.

5. Kernel processing is good for stability
Kernel processing helps silage pack more densely, which leads to better stability of aerobic organisms, Williamson says. This is good for proper fermentation, and it can boost forage quality by increasing starch digestibility of the kernel, which could be a problem in dry silage.

Source: Penn State Cooperative Extension