From Harvest to Silage

Chopping and collecting fields of corn.

Corn ready for harvest.

Adolescent cows eating a mix of corn silage and other feed.

Lochmead Farms’ field corn is harvested and turned into corn silage to add to our cow feed. Corn silage makes up a large part of their diet, about 50% which is why at the end of every summer season we harvest on average 12,000 tons of total corn. That equals 24 Million pounds. That’s a lot of corn. Fortunately, cows are always hungry and it all gets put to use. Fun fact, cows are always hungry because they have 4 stomachs… sort of. Technically, cows have only 1 stomach, but it comprises 4 separate compartments; the Rumen, Reticulum, Omasum, and Abomasum. But still, that is a lot of stomach to fill every day, so cows munch on around 52lbs corn silage and 52lbs other healthy vegetation each day.

Harvest Process

Once ripe, the field corn is ready to be chopped up, ensiled, and stored for feeding use. Lochmead Farms uses 300 acres to grow and harvest field corn every year. With 40 tons of corn harvested per acre, that adds up to the 12,000 tons. The process of harvesting includes a chopping machine that does exactly what it sounds like, it chops. Attached to the chopper is the processor that breaks up the cob and kernels. The corn and its whole plant are chopped up into small fragments and blown into a large truck driving side-by-side. That truck transports the chopped corn back to the farm where it is plopped in front of the bunker silo. 2-3 trucks take turns filling up, driving back to the farm, and emptying their loads of corn before heading back to the field for more. In the bunker silo, two tractors work in tandem to move the tons of corn into very large piles and compact them.

Ensiling Process

Compacting the corn is a vital step in the process of taking corn and turning it into silage. The first reason the corn is compacted is to remove any excess air within the pile to prevent it from spoiling. The compaction also allows the plant parts to heat up and ferment, killing any bacteria. This process is called ensiling or silaging and occurs over a duration of 10 days. Once all the corn is placed and compacted, it is covered by two layers, a painters plastic sheet and a tarp to keep the wind and water out. After the 10 days of ensiling, Lochmead Farms allows the corn silage to sit and cool for an additional 1-2 months before it begins feeding it to their cows.

Carrying chopped corn back to the farm to turn into silage and store for future use.

Compacting thousands of lbs of chopped up corn.

Learn more about Lochmead Farms products here!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more fun, facts, and specials!