1. Selecting Corn Silage Hybrids
Nick Roy
Adair County Extension
Agent for Agriculture

2. What Makes a Good Corn Silage Hybrid?

3. Good Corn Silage?
• Big Ear?
• Tall?
• Less than perfect stalk integrity?

4. Good Corn Silage
• Big Ear: 40-50% of yield, energy content
• Tall: 1 ton per foot (w/o ear)
• Less than perfect stalk integrity
– Low lignin= lower NDF
• More digestible= more milk

5. What about?
• Leafy
– Only 10-12% of yield
• Protein
– Much cheaper than energy
– Focus on energy!

6. Ration 1
• 70 lbs low energy/high protein corn silage
• 7 lbs high quality alfalfa hay
• 23 lbs grain @ $307.00/ton
• 75 lbs milk

7. Ration 2
• 70 lbs high energy/low protein corn silage
• 7 lbs high quality alfalfa hay
• 21.1 lbs grain @ $287.00/ton
• 75 lbs milk

8. What is Energy?
• ADF (acid detergent fiber)
– Composed of cellulose and lignin
– Lignin– indigestible
– Relates inversely to digestibility
• NDF (neutral detergent fiber)
– Composed of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin
– Relates inversely to intake
• NEL – Net Energy for Lactation
– Calculated from ADF
Amaral-Phillips

9. Corn Silage Averages
Dairy One Forage Lab
5/01/00 through 4/30/08

10. Corn Silage
A “minor” crop?
• Only about 7% of corn in the U.S. is harvested
for silage.
• Historically, this has limited most seed
companies’ interest in silage-only hybrids.

11. UK Corn Silage Variety Trial
• Purpose
– Provide unbiased data on common corn silage
varieties for growers to use to make hybrid
selection decisions

12. UK Corn Silage Variety Trial
• Measurements
– Yield
– Quality
– Disease
– Miscellaneous
• Grain
• Stalk Integrity
• Fertility

13. UK Corn Silage Variety Trial
• Locations
– Adair County
• South Central KY
– Boyle County
• Central KY
– Mason County
• Northern KY

14. What’s Your Goal
• Yield?
• Quality?
• Compromise?

15. Milk Yield
• Calculated from CP, NDF, Starch, Fat, & Ash
– University of Wisconsin
• Per Ton vs. Per Acre
– Per Ton
• Highest = Best Quality
– Per Acre
• Highest= Sometimes a Compromise
• Yield X Milk Yield Per Ton

16. †
Table 1. Corn H ybrid Performance for Silage, Combined Sites, KY, 2010
1 2 3 3 4 5
Tons/A Milk Yield N EL N EG Quality, % Disease
Brand H ybrid 35% DM lbs/Ton lbs/A Mcal/lb Mcal/lb CP ADF N DF Lignin GLS Rust
Beck's 5675 HXR 22.9 3380 27000 0.81 0.55 7.4 21 37 3.3 1.6 0.6
Beck's 6733 HXR 25.2 3290 29000 0.83 0.56 7.3 20 36 3.2 1.2 0.8
Caverndale Farms CF 868 3000GT 22.6 3350 26400 0.81 0.54 6.9 21 38 2.8 2.2 0.4
Caverndale Farms CF 906 GT 22.6 3320 26200 0.76 0.5 7 24 42 3.2 0.7 0.8
Caverndale Farms CF 926 GT 23.2 3470 28000 0.8 0.54 7.1 22 39 3 2 0.5
DeKalb DKC 63-42 22.4 3420 26600 0.81 0.54 7.2 21 38 2.8 1.2 0.5
DeKalb DKC 66-96 23.1 3200 25700 0.72 0.45 6.4 27 45 3.8 0.8 1
Dyna Gro 58V69 22.9 3340 26800 0.79 0.52 7.1 22 40 3.1 0.8 0.3
Dyna Gro V5683VT3 22.2 3380 26300 0.79 0.52 7 23 40 3.4 1.2 1.5
Master's Choice MCT-6581 GT 21.6 3300 24900 0.78 0.51 7 23 40 2.8 1.2 0.5
Master's Choice SP-590 RR 23.1 3150 25400 0.79 0.52 6.7 22 39 3.1 1 1
Mycogen F2F665 18.6 3300 21500 0.76 0.5 6.7 26 44 3.4 3 0.6
Mycogen TMF2H918 25.3 3250 28800 0.76 0.49 7.1 25 43 3.9 1 0
NK Seeds N78N-3000GT 20.4 3600 25600 0.79 0.52 7.5 23 40 3.1 2.3 0.2
NK Seeds N82V-3000GT 23.7 3450 28600 0.76 0.5 6.8 24 42 3.1 2.5 0.8
Pioneer 31G70 21.4 3370 25000 0.8 0.53 6.9 21 39 2.7 1.2 0.6
Pioneer P1615 HR 24 3200 26900 0.79 0.53 7.4 23 41 3.4 1.2 0.4
Seed Consultants S 11HQ38
CS 22.5 3380 26600 0.8 0.53 7.4 22 38 3 1.2 0.5
Seed Consultants S 11HQ39
CS 20.2 3500 24500 0.8 0.54 7 21 38 2.3 1.2 0.8
Southern States S 775 RR2
S 22 3260 25100 0.83 0.55 6.8 19 35 2.8 1.2 0.4
Southern States S 842 RR2 YGCB
S 23.2 3400 27600 0.77 0.51 7.1 24 42 3.4 1.4 0.8
Wyfells W8681 23.3 3520 28900 0.83 0.56 7 20 36 2.7 1 0.7
Wyfells W9121 22.9 3430 27400 0.83 0.56 7.2 20 36 2.9 0.8 1.7
LS (0.10)
D 2.3 2800
CV 10 10.2
Grand Mean 22.6 3350 26400 0.79 0.52 7 22 39 3 1.4 0.7

18. Bargain Buys?

19. Is it worth the savings?
Additional Tons/Acre
Value/Ton 1 2 3 4
$ 25 $ 25 $ 50 $ 75 $ 100
$ 30 $ 30 $ 60 $ 90 $ 120
$ 35 $ 35 $ 70 $ 105 $ 140
$ 40 $ 40 $ 80 $ 120 $ 160

20. Thank You
• Questions?