Wisconsin leads the nation in corn silage production, harvesting over 19.8 million tons of silage (at 65% moisture) on approximately 880,000 acres in 2022. Corn silage is unique compared to multi-cut forage systems, such as alfalfa, as there is a single opportunity to properly harvest and store quality forage each year. With such high stakes riding on harvest management decisions, farmers and consultants must diligently monitor crop maturity and moisture to optimize harvest timing to balance silage yield, ensiling conditions, and forage quality.
Impacts from the 2023 growing season The 2023 growing season has been highly variable across the state. Delays at planting (particularly in the northern half of the state) were the result of the cold, wet conditions that prevented farmers from getting into the fields early. Extremely dry conditions followed resulting in multiple emergence events and uneven stands throughout many corn fields across the state. Western and southern portions of Wisconsin have endured moderate, severe, or extreme drought (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/). While other portions of the state received timely, but very inconsistent precipitation. These less-than-ideal growing conditions have resulted in significant variability in crop growth, maturity and dry-down.
Source: wisc.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-chrisboswell
Categories: Wisconsin, Crops, Corn, Harvesting