Recent storms that swept through southern Illinois left heavy wind damage in many corn fields, leaving producers in a quandary about what to do with the downed corn, said a University of Illinois Extension animal systems educator.

“Can this damaged corn be salvaged for corn silage?” is being asked of Dave Fischer, who is based in Edwardsville.

“The answer to this question depends on the plant moisture, maturity at the time of wind damage, stalk integrity, and the weather conditions that followed the damage,” he said.

“The bottom line is that good silage management protocol must be followed when trying to salvage wind/weather damaged corn as a nutritive feed product for livestock.”

Fischer outlined the steps producers need to follow.

The quality of corn silage will depend greatly on the moisture level at time of harvesting, he noted. Harvesting corn silage too high or too low in moisture will result in poorly fermented feed with possible problems related to reduced palatability and mold-causing organisms.