2025 Evaluation

The University of Vermont and Cornell University conduct the annual Corn Silage Hybrid Evaluation Program to help farmers and technical service providers make decisions about hybrid selection and expand available data for the agricultural community.

In this program, corn silage hybrids are evaluated across several environments to identify hybrids that consistently perform above average across variable conditions. Farmers can’t predict the weather, so they need corn hybrids that will likely perform well despite year-to-year variation in conditions. Looking across a variety of environments can help identify such hybrids better than looking at one location.

Many aspects of hybrid performance must be considered, including field characteristics, yield, and resulting forage quality. Therefore, this evaluation includes plant populations, overall silage yield, forage quality metrics (such as starch, protein, fiber, and fiber digestibility), and uses the CNCPS nutrition model to calculate predicted milk yield and metabolizable protein.

Methods

In 2025, we tested 64 hybrid corn varieties from 13 seed brands. All hybrids were planted using a four-row planter at 34,000 plants/acre. Each plot consisted of four rows spaced 30 inches apart with harvest of the inner two rows. 

All hybrids were planted at two locations: the Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, NY (Cayuga County) and Borderview Farm in Alburgh, VT (Grand Isle County). Planting occurred on May 13^th in Alburgh, VT, and June 4^th in Aurora, NY. In Alburgh, VT, short-season corn was harvested on September 9^th, and long-season corn was harvested on September 17^th. Unfortunately, harvest did not occur at Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, NY, due to extreme weather patterns.  

Results

There are many considerations when choosing the right corn silage hybrid for your operation. Factors like rainfall, soil nutrients, pest pressure, nitrogen balance, and other stressors can influence how efficiently crops convert growing degree days (GDD) into actual plant growth. 

In Alburgh, VT, the 2025 growing season began with timely planting on May 15^th. The weather turned dry in late July, and the plot experienced mild drought stress during critical pollination and ear development stages which persisted through the remainder of the season. Overall, this area also experienced lower-than-average GDDs, leading to decreased whole plant and dry matter weight. 

Despite these conditions, hybrids produced silage yields between 18.0 and 27.6 tons per acre at 35% dry matter. Hybrids performed differently in starch, protein, and fiber concentrations, suggesting differences in ear and plant development. By comparing crop yield and predicted milk yield, hybrids that are top performers in yield and quality. Six hybrids with 85-94 day relative maturity (RM), 3 with 95-98 day RM, 7 with 99-104 day RM, and 6 with 105-110 day RM fell into this category. The graphs displaying this information visually and summary tables identifying these hybrids can be seen in the full report. 

In addition, the report shows how hybrids have historically performed in the evaluation across environments and years. This summary can be used to identify hybrids that tend to produce above-average crop and predicted milk yields across environmental and year-to-year variation. 

For full details of the evaluation, check out the full report here.