Harvesting corn snaplage is a viable alternative to rolled high moisture shelled corn (RHMC). Snaplage generally contains the ear (cob and grain), husk, and shank and is harvested using a self-propelled forage harvester equipped with a snapper head and an onboard kernel processor. This allows for earlier corn harvest which proceeds more rapidly with kernel processing done in the harvester rather than at the silo as done with RHMC. However, snaplage has different nutritional qualities and harvest management considerations than RHMC. Considerations include moisture content, forage harvester set-up, storage capacity, and potential impacts of starch digestibility on milk production.
In this UW-Extension Team
Forage’s Focus on Forage factsheet
Corn Snaplage Harvest & Feeding, UW-Extension Dairy Nutritionists Matt Akins and Randy Shaver, UW-Extension Agronomist Joe Lauer share the important management practices and provide results of recent research at UW-Madison with feeding snaplage to dairy cattle.