Tthe most common silage crop used will be corn. Corn gives a very high tonnage forage that is high in energy. Other crops that can be ensiled successfully and are used frequently are forage sorghums, sorghum-sudangrass, pearl millet, and alfalfa. Barley and oats also provide a very good haylage type crop. All are annual plants with the exception of alfalfa, which is a perennial.
Corn is the most common plant used for many reasons.
One overpowering reason is the flexibility of using corn as a forage as well as harvesting it for grain. Corn also provides a desirable grain for feeding and finishing livestock. If corn prices remain low, you can decide the most economic use of the crop for grain or silage and feed within your feedlot as planned. Alfalfa becomes a good crop when you need to put a field in some type of permanent or temporary crop for two to four years. Irrigated alfalfa will give a high tonnage crop that is high in protein.