HADLEY — Corn silage stalks that will become the main sustenance for dairy cows during the winter months are nearly ready to harvest from fields throughout New England.
While farmers could make educated guesses on when to harvest the corn using their own instincts and knowledge, many are instead turning to scientific data to pinpoint the exact day to cut the silage.
Working with agronomists and professional dairy cow nutritionists from Poulin Grain, which supplies livestock feed throughout the region, John Winchell, a field administrator from Alltech Corp., set up a portable laboratory inside a garage at Mapleline Farm in Hadley on Wednesday.
There, Winchell, who has been doing the testing for about 15 years and assisting Poulin with its interest in improving feed, evaluated small bins of ground-up stalks from 90 to 100 farms. Placing the green, mush-like substance into a petri dish and hooking up a device that he likened to an MRI or CAT scan for corn, Winchell determined the best harvest dates through diagnostic tests.
Winchell bases his findings on the best nutritional potential, looking at the moisture content of the stalks, when the corn was planted, the seed varieties used and the milestones of the tassels.
These determinations will not only improve the nutrition and diet for cows, but also enhance the milk they produce during the winter months.
“Some of the best farms are so maniacal about this that they will want to test multiple times,” Winchell said.
Each farm brought six stalks to be chipped down into labeled bins, leading to the experts’ report mapping out the precise window of days to harvest their corn silage for peak structural and caloric value.
While Winchell once had to dry samples for 45 minutes for the tests, the newest equipment provides results nearly instantaneously.
The information Winchell provides to farms also comes from his knowledge that the corn stalks dry down about half a percent each day and need to reach around 35% moisture content when harvested. Winchell said the kernels should be fully formed so the cows can consume the silage, but not so hard that they miss out on necessary nutrition.
Jessica Dizek, a co-owner of Mapleline, said the testing at the farm has happened annually since 2021. She understands that the harvest time for corn silage stalks can affect forage inventory yield, quality and silage fermentation.
“Timing the corn silage harvest perfectly is one of the most critical decisions
a dairy farmer makes all year to protect herd health and milk components,” Dizek said.
Harvesting stalks with too much moisture, Dizek said, risks the silage spoiling and developing mold in the silo. While farmers can add supplements and acquire feed from other sources, that increases costs.
“This is all about harvesting for the best nutrition for the cows,” Dizek said. “The key part is to maximize the homegrown feed. You only get one shot at it to cut it and get it into the silos.”
“They’re helping us give nutritional value to our corn,” Dizek added, regarding the work of Alltech and Poulin.
Even before receiving the finished report on the corn silage stalks from Mapleline’s fields, Dizek asked Winchell about his preliminary findings. He informed her that harvesting can happen in another 20 days, noting that his information will be more precise than the method some Amish farmers use for testing—squeezing the corn to determine when to harvest.
Winchell said he expects almost all farmers in the area to wait a little while longer for harvesting, though the summer’s weather conditions have been normal.
“It’s been a normal season, with ample rain and ample heat,” Winchell said.
