High moisture corn educate me please...

I've heard of high moisture corn quite a bit, what I've never head is why? They combine it, crack it and then pack it like silage. Why not just chop it for silage?? I'm just curious.. thanks
-Garrett

Lots more protein in the ear than in the whole stalk. The stalk is mostly roughage important to rumination. Most high moisture cob mix goes into bags or "Blue Angles" so it can ferment. There are other crops that can be mixed into a ration, such as alfalfa that promote rumination and much higher in protein. Protein is the key ingredient to milk production and heard health. ------------------------Loren

Silsage is the whole plane stalk and all. High moisture corn is just the kernals shelled and stored. Ground high moisture Ear corn is the whole ear chopped/ground for feed and stored like the kernals are. The silage is fed for roughage and the corn is for the feed just like your dry ground feed only saved the drying cost.

For finishing beef cattle like in Texas, Kansas,and other feeding states,The ground corn on the cob would be ideal,because it got some roughage to it,But the corn picker's are all gone, and too slow, so it's easier to combine the corn, and the roughage's comes from some long stemed hay,anyway that'd what i did it! But the dairy farmer he need that cob for roughage in the cow's diet, to prevent burn out in their stomach's, and it gives them better butterfat, which is more money per hundred weight for the milk. That's why mother nature made the corn and cob together!

High moisture corn is not much higher in protein than corn silage. Silage is maybe 6 percent protein, corn grain 9. The difference is the energy content- much higher in corn grain. Most of a corn kernel is starch, a carbohydrate or energy source. Corn as a protein source is really rather poor- both in quantity and quality, as corn protein is deficient in some amino acids.

High moisture corn was typically used as a way to store corn on a farm (usually dairy or beef) for feed use without cribbing or drying, using silos. It is not nearly as possible now as it was in say the 1970's. Many dairies purchase dry corn from a feed mill or elevator, as they often don't have acreage dedicated to corn grain production any longer, choosing to focus on forage crops. Dry corn, while needing to be dried, is more stable as a feed, as it is less likely to mold, doesn't have fermentation dry matter loss, and the coarseness of the grind can be changed easily. It is also a little less likely to cause rumen upset in dairy cows.

There were typically 3 forms of high moisture corn-

High moisture shelled corn- basically what came out of a combine, ground and put in a silo.

High moisture ear corn- what yuo'd pick with a corn picker, grain and cob, ground and put in a silo. This had a little less energy per lb. than high moisture shelled corn, but greater yield per acre.

Snaplage- Whole ears with husks ground and put in a silo. This was typically harvested with a forage harvester fitted with a small combine or corn picker style head. Had the least amount of energy with the husks included, and typically seperated when blown in the silo, with the husk pieces drifting to the outside, causing mold and spoilage.

The feed lot i worked for combined high moisture corn run it through a hay buster chopper and then pile and pack it like silage

Should be "popular" now instead of "possible".

The moisture level in high moisture corn, really isn’t all that high compared to silage. Whole plant silage arouind 60% moisture, high moisture corn is generally around 24% moisture while dry corn keeps around 14%.
Snapplage is once again becoming more popular and keeps well in a bunker silo.

The feed lot i worked for combined high moisture corn run it through a hay buster chopper and then pile and pack it like silage

Thanks for this explanation. I've wondered what these terms were. I've never helped with silage.

I also just saw a pull type chopper with what looked like at least a 3 row combine head on it yesterday. It was being pulled by a 4050 John Deere and I thought - #1, I didn't realize choppers would take combine heads, and #2, that must be a stout 4050 to run a 3 row chopper. Now that I read your post I see they were making snaplage.