In 2023, the corn silage hybrid evaluation program received 75 entries from 17 seed brands. Hybrid evaluation at multiple environments helps in decision making and expands the reach of this type of data to more farmers. Cornell, UVM, and seed companies collaborate to provide this robust evaluation.
In 2023, the hybrid relative maturity (RM) grouping was revised in response to entry trends and stakeholder feedback. The Early-Mid RM group was revised (from 80-95 day RM) to be 85-98 day RM while the Mid-Late RM group was refined (from 96-110 day RM) to be 99-110 day RM. Hybrids were either entered into the 85-98 day RM group (Early-Mid; n = 39) and were tested at two locations in New York (Lamb Farms in Oakfield and the Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro) and one location in Vermont (Borderview Farm in Alburgh) or were entered into the 99-110 day RM group (Mid-Late; n = 36) and were tested at two locations in New York (Greenwood Farms in Madrid and the Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora) and one location in Vermont (Borderview Farm in Alburgh).
The report offers insight into hybrid performance as influenced by growing environment, and when used in conjunction with other data and experience, can be a useful tool to evaluate how a hybrid may fit a farm's forage goals.
The New York and Vermont corn silage evaluation program is made possible with support from dairy producers, participating seed companies, Cornell University, the University of Vermont, the New York Corn Growers Corn Research and Education Program, and the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. Seed companies were invited to submit hybrids into either maturity group (three locations per maturity group) for a fee.
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