Drought is continuing in Northwest Iowa and corn fields are beginning to dry down. Despite that, appearances can be misleading when making corn silage. That’s according to Iowa State University Extension Beef Specialist Beth Doran. She says it’s important to harvest that corn at the optimum moisture and you may have to run a test to determine that.

Doran says if it’s too wet it’s going to seep out and become putrid, and if it’s too dry it’s not going to pack well and it’s going to mold. She says another concern with silage cutting is to make sure and avoid any corn that may have high nitrate levels that could make feeding it to cattle an issue.

Doran says it’s also critical that farmers be careful with their green chopped corn.

Doran also advises to cover silage in bunkers, trenches and piles as soon as possible after filling to protect it from wind damage.