Harvest Update: Corn Silage Progress Across Top States

Photo byJohn Deere

Summer is wrapping up, and fall is approaching. The corn for grain harvest has yet to hit full song in the top corn-growing states even though the corn for silage harvest is well underway.

Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops, primarily corn, triticale, and wheat, preserved by fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants.

Photo bybonsilage.de

Across the U.S., many corn farmers are harvesting the crop for silage. Here’s a look at progress in the states that harvested the most corn silage acres last year.

According to USDA’s annual Crop Production reports, Wisconsin farmers have long led the country in total acreage of corn harvested for silage.

Iowa farmers harvested 380,000 acres of corn for silage in 2023. The 2024 harvest is making progress.

Photo byGerminal

September is always a busy month, as farmers in Iowa are beginning to make harvest preparations while seeding cover crops and chopping silage. -Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig

This season, the USDA reported that corn fields in specific areas in California, including the San Joaquin Valley and Tulare County, were green-chopped. In 2023, growers in California harvested 350,000 acres of corn for silage.

Minnesota’s progress toward corn silage harvest as of September 1st was significantly below historical trends. The USDA said Minnesota farmers harvested 350,000 acres of corn for silage in 2023. Although the corn silage harvest reached 8% by the end of August last year, 26% of the harvest was complete. The five-year average is 19%.

Last year, Pennsylvania farmers harvested 345,000 acres of corn for silage. This year, USDA said that 13% of the state’s corn for silage had been harvested by September 1st, an increase from less than 5% last week. Last year, at this time, less than 5% had been harvested.

Photo byClaas

Kansas farmers harvested 330,000 acres of corn for silage last year.

Kansas Corn CEO Josh Roe said that this year’s corn silage harvest is underway in the areas he travels and farms.

The harvest is nearly complete in southern Kansas, and at least two-thirds complete in other areas of the state. -Josh Roe

Michigan farmers harvested 320,000 acres of corn for silage last year. According to the USDA, Michigan’s corn harvested for silage this season reached 6% by September 1st—five percentage points from the week prior. Last year, the percentage was 12%, and the five-year average was 10%.

Ag Bags for silage storagePhoto bymondomacchina.it

USDA said New York farmers harvested 430,000 acres of corn for silage last year, ranking third in the number of acres harvested for silage.

This year’s silage harvest in the Empire State is right on track. For the week ending Sept. 1, 1% of New York’s corn for silage had been harvested according to USDA. That’s on par with last year at this time.

Photo byFarmer's Weekly

Corn silage is an essential forage in livestock and dairy diets. Corn silage is highly palatable and superior to other forages in energy content when properly harvested and stored. Corn silage is consistent in quality and a good source of fibre. Corn silage’s high palatability encourages feed intake, contributing to higher milk yields, weight gains, and farm profits.

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