I just had a call from one of my producers about harvesting dry corn silage (> 45% DM). Not the first question this week. This producer has the ability to set up an irrigation nozzle and spray the bunk with enough water to get the DM down to 40%. He was awake at 2:00 am fretting about what to do. Has anyone tried this? I suggested only for packing, this would be a good idea. I have no idea how added water works with the fermentation process. Any ideas? I am headed to the dairy now and will try to get some pictures of this in action.
I’ve never seen it done with corn silage in a bunker, but have seen it done with whole shelled corn in an upright silo. I didn’t believe the corn would soak up that much water, but it did and came out of the silo in great shape. I would think corn silage would soak up moisture better than corn grain. Let us know how it works.
I have not seen this strategy in all my dry CS exposure over the years. Getting adequate water volume on the silage has been the limitation. However, I have seen CS coming out of bunks at the dry matters mentioned relatively stable for feedout, especially in the cases where these was proper DM in cross sections of the bunk, its was packed well, and covered timely with oxygen barrier film and plastic. The feedout could result in palatability and intake issues due to a restrictive fermentation.
Additionally, reducing particle size may enhance the packing density (~1/2 in, 12-13 mm) and in the situation mentioned, surface area to increase hydration. Perhaps even pulverization on the top layers to facilitate packing and “fermentation” to some extent. Application of mold inhibiting products certainly appear to be an option. Getting this harvested ASAP, packing, packing, packing, and getting it covered will enhance the chances of success.
Unfortunately, there will be several learning experiences this year (especially in the Northeast US) with feeding drier corn silage on many dairies. I will certainly add my observations moving forward.