Grab a 32-ounce cup and check your kernel processing

Last week, we learned of a new use for a 32-ounce cup: checking your corn kernel processing. You know, one of those extra-large plastic cups you get from your local convenience store when purchasing a slushy or soda? We were in Johnston, Iowa, last week for the Pioneer Media Forage Day. During the mock “Forage University,” Pioneer’s Nutritional Sciences manager Bill Mahanna discussed the importance of corn kernel processing as it relates to feed efficiency.

Today’s top-producing dairy cows are no longer peaking at 90 pounds of milk per day; they are making much more milk. This larger volume of milk means that feed is passing through the rumen at much faster rates. This increased rate of passage makes feed processing more important to facilitate faster microbial access. To check your kernels, grab a 32-ounce beverage cup and fill it with corn silage. Next, dump the sample of corn silage onto a table and sort out the corn kernels. If you find 2, 3, or more whole or half kernels, kernel damage (processing) is not optimal.

The USDA says that over 70 percent of kernels damaged is optimal. While this might not be completely feasible, Mahanna recommends producers target the mid to high 60s. To achieve this, you’ll need to set the roller mill gap on your corn chopper anywhere between 1 to 3 mm. If corn silage is already harvested, it is possible to get your corn silage reprocessed, but it will take a considerable amount of time and money. So, be sure to keep these targets in mind for next year, and track the difference it can make.