Preparing for the Winter Wheat Planting Season

Carrie Knott, Extension Agronomist-Princeton, University of Kentucky

The optimal planting window for winter wheat in Kentucky is quickly approaching: October 10-30. Prior to the physical planting of wheat, farmers must make several critical decisions to maximize wheat grain yield and profitability the following June.  

Pay Close Attention to Moisture of Corn for Silage

Chad Lee, Donna Amaral-Phillips and Nick Roy
Extension Agronomist, Extension Dairy Nutritionist and County Extension Agent, University of Kentucky

Milkine is a poor indicator of
whole plant moisture.

The wet August and healthy corn crop are great for tonnage, but will present challenges for determining when to harvest the corn crop for silage. Whole plant moisture is the most important factor for deciding when to harvest corn. Ideal whole plant moistures are 65 to 70% for bunker silos, 62 to 65% for uprights and 62 to 68% for silo bags. Moisture at harvest determines how well the chopped crop will pack which directly impacts the quality of silage when fed-out. Silage harvested too wet will undergo an unwanted fermentation and could limit feed intake and hurt the health of dairy cattle. Plant growth stage is another consideration, but it secondary to whole plant moisture.