When both are available, high-moisture forage sorghum can be mixed and ensiled with relatively dry corn silage to help correct the moisture problem in both forages. Moisture content of corn silage decreases as the plant matures. Sorghums also decrease in moisture as they mature but do not appear to drop as fast or as much as corn. You may want to test for moisture content as well as observe maturity at the beginning of silage harvest. Several procedures could be used, including oven drying, laboratory analysis, and use of small electric moisture testers.
All methods require gathering a representative sample for drying.
If a microwave or small electric tester is used, a fairly accurate moisture determination requires only 15 to 20 minutes. One objective in making silage is to preserve the original nutrients of the crop with minimum losses. This involves exclusion of air and formation of a low-oxygen environment. This can be done most easily using oxygen-limiting silos, but excellent preservation can also be accomplished using conventional upright and horizontal silos, or silage bags, with careful management. Fineness of Chop Length of chop is important because it can affect packing qualities of silage and silage consumption.