Optimizing productivity without BMR

Cole Diepersloot, Ph.D., Vita Plus forage specialist and dairy nutritionist

Seed companies have announced plans to phase out brown midrib (BMR) corn silage hybrids and stop selling seed within the next few years. Dairy producers have a few options to support dairy cow productivity and farm profitability as they look to replace BMR hybrids.

Increased cutting height

Increasing the cutting height of conventional corn silage hybrids can improve corn silage quality. Because the stalk contains the greatest proportion of undigestible fiber in the plant, leaving more stalk in the field allows for greater fiber digestibility in the silage.  Harvesting conventional corn silage at higher cutting heights also increases starch concentration. The combination of greater fiber digestibility and starch concentration can increase the energy available from corn silage, improving dairy cow productivity. However, these benefits come at the expense of lower yields, which may limit the feasibility of harvesting at higher cutting heights.

Short corn hybrids

Short corn hybrids are an up-and-coming hybrid type. These hybrids have been featured in plot trials and will slowly come to market in the next few years. As the name suggests, short corn hybrids are not as tall as conventional hybrids but have the same number of leaves and similar-sized cobs. These features may increase fiber digestibility and starch concentrations compared to conventional hybrids but may decrease yields.

Research is ongoing, so producers and nutritionists can watch hybrid trials for a sneak peek of short corn hybrids’ performance. Following discussions on potential management strategies for growing short corn hybrids is also advised.

Consider income over feed costs

The high fiber digestibility of BMR hybrids allows dairy cows to eat more, supporting greater milk production. However, despite greater production, feeding BMR corn silage doesn’t usually improve feed efficiency and may slightly reduce milk fat concentration.  Growing BMR corn silage is typically more expensive than conventional corn silage, and even more so when the lower yields are factored into production costs. BMR’s lower starch concentration may also require producers to purchase starch sources. Adding up increased production costs, purchased feeds and greater intakes associated with BMR corn silage at least partially offsets the greater income from milk production.

Bottom line: Producers and nutritionists need to look the big picture of income over feed costs as they switch from BMR to conventional silage. Giving up production is always difficult, but open discussions can help ease the impacts of switching from BMR to conventional hybrids, especially if economics outweigh the negative effect on the bulk tank.

Start planning now

Producers should explore and evaluate their BMR replacement options before these hybrids are removed from the market. Test plots (if feasible) are useful in evaluating several options.  Consider testing replacements on some fields and evaluate the impacts on corn silage quality, cow performance, and feeding strategies. Planning for the 2026 season will begin soon; producers should utilize their nutritionists and agronomists to identify a corn silage strategy that can maximize their income over feed costs.

References available upon request.