Whether you select a dual purpose, Leafy or Floury Leafy it is most important that you consider some of the key factors of corn silage quality: moisture, fiber digestibility and starch availability. Together these factors can be converted into animal intake potential values such as: Milk per Ton (estimated intake of energy from corn silage) Milk/Beef per Acre (calculated using Milk per Ton & Dry Matter Yield per Acre) Below we break down the ideal ranges of some of the key factors of corn silage quality: 1. Moisture Content (30-40% Dry Matter (DM%) / 60-70% Moisture) • Corn ensiled extremely wet ferments poorly & nutrients are lost • Corn ensiled too dry results in poor packing (too much air is trapped; mold & spoilage will occur) 2. Fiber: Neutral-Detergent Fiber (NDF) (41-54%) • Measures total fiber content (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) • Lower NDF is desired; high NDF results in lower feed intake Acid-Detergent Fiber (ADF) (23-33%) • Predicts energy content • Low ADF is desired; high ADF results in poor digestibility and low energy Neutral-Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD) (47-64%, 48hr incubation period) • Digestibility of NDF • High NDFD results in higher digestible energy and allows for greater DM intake/feed intake 3. Starch: • High starch availability is important, but the amount that is digestible by the animal is most important • Starch is a main source of energy and correlates to the grain content of corn silage • As plant matures, sugar in the kernels is converted to starch • If moisture content is too dry, the starch granules pack tightly and the kernels are harder making the starch more resistant to digestion Request a test for % Digestible Starch The starch digestibility based on 7hr: High > 82% Moderate 62-81% Low < 61% @pickseedcanada dlfpickseed.ca
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