Compare the feed, not the water

As-fed columns answer loading questions; dry-matter columns answer nutrient-concentration questions.

4 min read · 2026-09-17

In this note

30–35%
30–40%

Wet corn silage can look poorer in protein, starch, and fiber than dry hay when both are read as-fed. Much of that gap is water. Removing water mathematically puts nutrient concentrations on a comparable basis so you can ask what the dry material actually contains.

Extension forage-report guides keep the jobs separate. Use dry-matter values to compare feeds and to talk with the nutritionist about nutrient concentration. Return to as-fed kilograms when the mixer is loaded. Whole-plant corn silage is commonly harvested around 30–35% dry matter, with fermented silage often landing nearer 30–40% DM — those windows change as-fed weight without rewriting the dry-matter chemistry. Do not treat an as-fed column as a nutrient comparison.

Check in the barn

What to check: Which column did someone quote — as-fed or dry matter? If two forages are being ranked, are they both on DM? If the mixer sheet changed, was that an as-fed load correction or a nutrient rewrite? Say the basis out loud before the number leaves the page.

Sister notes on this universe cover dry-matter-drift-changes-the-load, when moisture moves the load even if the ticket looks unchanged, and a-number-without-a-unit-is-not-a-result. The physically-effective-fiber universe’s water-is-a-fiber-plasticizer note picks up how forage dry matter also changes mixing and the particle box. Educational only — not a diagnosis, prescription, or ration formula.