A good silage hybrid can make or break your feed quality. LG Seeds offers 54+ high quality silage proven corn hybrid choices. Every region is different, and silage needs in each area can vary. 

Silage proven across the nation

Our LG Seeds reps on the west coast have been leaning on nutritionists to evaluate the quality level of the silage product called Total Tract Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (TTNDFD). TTNDFD is a newer analysis that combines 24-, 30-, and 48-hour Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility (NDFD) along with an Undigested NDF (uNDF) measure. Fiber digestibility is more important than any other diet nutrient component and this calculation is effective to index those levels.

Higher TTNDFD values help to reduce overfeeding grain, or other expensive feeds, and can increase your herd milk yield. According to Rock River Laboratory, there are guidelines for TTNDFD for corn silage: The goal of the silage should be greater than 48%. The average of corn silage is 41.2%, and anything less than 35% is considered low. These values can be found on LG Seeds silage harvest reports. Starch and harvest tonnage also play a key role in selecting a Silage Proven hybrid for our West Coast group.

In the Corn Belt, decision-impacting qualities of silage are different than the west coast. Some of the key factors that make a silage product valuable include; NDF, Starch, Milk Per Acre, Milk Per Ton and overall tonnage. The difference comes from focusing on quality versus tonnage. Many dairy operations place quality as a top priority, which places a premium on choosing hybrids with higher Milk per Ton and higher Milk per Acre values. On the flip side of that, some farms grow silage and get paid based on tonnage, so tonnage outweighs quality when selecting hybrids.

So what makes a corn hybrid silage proven?

To be considered a Silage Proven hybrid, the product must display consistent performance, good tonnage across all testing regions, satisfactory NDF numbers, satisfactory starch content, high Milk Per Ton ratings and high Milk Per Acre ratings.  

Get in touch with your local LG Seeds rep to select the best silage choice for your farm.

Sources

1. Defining Corn Silage Quality from Dairy Herd Management at www.dairyherd.com
2. Influence of Ensiling on the Digestibility of Whole-Plant Corn Silage by L. Ferraretto, R. Shaver, and J. Lauer of the Department of Dairy Science, UW-Madison and Department of Agronomy, UW-Madison at www.fyi.extension.wisc.edu
3. Quality and Feeding from Corn Agronomy at www.corn.agronomy.wisc.edu
4. https://www.lgseeds.com/blog/agronomy-blog/2019/04/12/what-defines-good-quality-corn-silage
5. https://extension.psu.edu/2018-results-pa-commercial-grain-and-silage-hybrid-corn-tests-report#section-