Adding More Muscle to a Strong Corn Silage Program
BY Chad Staudinger, Northern Region Sales Manager
Choosing the right grain hybrid for a grower’s farm involves many decisions, including matching varieties to soil types and agronomic traits to specific environments. The end goal is quite consistent among growers — to produce the greatest amount of high test weight corn at a moisture content that doesn’t break the bank when it comes to drying.
When it comes to corn silage, the list of factors to consider when choosing hybrids becomes larger because the crop is converted to milk or meat. Since the production and financial goals of dairy and beef producers vary, so do the silage attributes they are looking for to meet their goals. Adding to the importance of these decisions, inclusion rates of corn silage in dairy diets are at an all-time high.
Since the 1990s, Dairyland Seed has been identifying, testing, and producing hybrids that fit the diverse needs of dairy and beef producers. Our process began with the realization that high performing grain hybrids are not always high performing silage hybrids. As a result, the Highly Digestible Forage (HiDF) concept was launched.
HiDF is an umbrella term for hybrids that perform well in Milk/Acre or Beef/Acre categories. These hybrids all produce high yields of high-quality corn silage in most environments but are different in the way they do so.
Some hybrids have great agronomic and yield strength, but will be outperformed in silage quality. Others boast higher quality with less potential for top end yield. In the middle are hybrids that do well in both, but don’t excel in either. This diversity allows us to offer a package of hybrids that specifically match a grower’s goals.
Increased diversity in the large Corteva germplasm pool allows us to keep improving our HiDF lineup while also bringing forward new technologies for growers.
Since Corteva was established in 2019, we recognized the opportunity in the Brown Midrib (BMR) corn space. A genetic mutation results in a brown color in the midrib of the corn leaf. It also results in very high fiber digestibility, which allows animals to consume more and absorb more of the nutrients. This in turn can lead to higher milk production and reduced supplemental feed costs.
In February of 2021, Corteva announced its commitment to this market segment with the launch of Bovalta™ BMR technology. The new Bovalta BMR program is not only providing products that are 6-8 points higher than non-BMR checks in fiber digestibility, but also improving the yield, plant health, and agronomic performance.
Our extensive genetics program and vast testing network enables us to identify and launch the best BMR and HiDF genetics quickly to meet rapidly changing grower needs. As the industry continues to evolve, growers can continue to expect Dairyland Seed to provide excellent choices in corn silage hybrids.