When corn is standing in the field, two primary harvest options exist: combine grain or chop silage.

Determining what the grain is worth is easy. Multiply grain yield by bushel price. Subtract harvest, hauling, drying and storage costs if you desire net returns.

Silage management begins with evaluation – of the stored silage in a bunker or pile and of the products used to protect it.

The process of producing silage involves harvesting a fresh forage crop at a near-neutral pH from the field, putting that crop into an enclosed storage system of some sort (e.g., bales, bags, bunkers, pits, piles, towers, etc.) and acidifying the material to reduce its pH, which prevents the growth of spoilage organisms.