How to harvest maize

According to what I know, the ideal time to harvest maize for silage is when the whole plant is at around 30-33% dry matter (DM). It is important to harvest maize at the correct dry matter content to ensure good silage quality. If the maize is harvested too early, the silage will be too wet and will not ferment properly. If the maize is harvested too late, the silage will be too dry and will be difficult to consolidate in the clamp.

Harvest Timing

To assess maize maturity, collect at least five representative cobs and pull back the outer leaves. Pressing your fingernail into the kernels should result in a soft cheese texture at the top of the cob and leave no indentation in kernels in the middle and bottom. Break the cobs in half to examine kernels. A visible line will indicate where the solid yellow starch changes to the milky white sugar portion of the kernel. One-third to one-half of the kernel should be yellow starch.

Use the optimum cutting height and chop length

The bottom of a maize stalk has little nutritional value. Most of the energy and dry matter yield comes from the cob. So, set your cutting height based on the DM content and energy content you want to achieve. In all cases, always leave at least 15 cm of stubble to avoid soil contamination. The stem below this height is also likely to contain high levels of Fusarium – carrying the risk of mycotoxins.

For chop lengths, while short chop lengths make consolidation easier in the clamp, they will have a direct impact on how the silage performs in the rumen. Consider a chop length of 1.5 to 2 cm. Be aware, though, that longer chop lengths will make consolidation to remove air from the clamp more difficult, increasing the risk of aerobic spoilage (silage heating).