Jason Hartschuh, Assistant Professor, Extension Field Specialist, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, The Ohio State University
Pricing Corn Silage
Corn silage is the most economical forage ingredient in dairy cattle diets based upon Sesame ingredient pricing. Corn silage constitutes from 35 to 60% of the total ration intake and is 25 to 40% of the total lactating feed cost. A proper economic value to corn silage is important to optimize farm income.
Three ways to price corn silage. Actual production expense (fixed land cost and variable inputs), alternative ingredient market value, or an agreed upon cost from the neighbor for standing corn silage. This article will cover these three alternatives.
Actual production cost
The actual production expense provides a method to account for the variable costs (seed, fertilizer, chemicals, machinery, labor, insurance, etc.) and fixed costs (land, taxes, etc.) associated with the effort to plant, grow, harvest and feed corn silage. The Ohio State Extension 2026 Corn Budget values 190-bushel corn grain variable costs at $640/acre and fixed land, labor, and management costs at $550/acre for a total per acre cost of $1,190 to grow and harvest an acre of grain corn. Corn silage yield of 27 tons per acre calculates to a value of about $39/ton standing in the field, with a range of $37 to 50 depending on yield and starch content. Your specific fixed and variable farm costs can be used to find your farm corn silage cost. The 2025 Ohio State Extension Corn Silage Budget allows users to input their specific farm costs and can be downloaded by searching OSU Farm Office enterprise budgets.
Corn silage total cost into a ration requires adding harvest, haul, pack, inoculate, storage losses (shrink), and feed out costs. OSU Extension 2026 Custom Rate Survey (https://farmoffice.osu.edu) rates for chop, haul, and pack range from $7 to 14.40/ton. Industry costs for inoculant range from $0.50 to 1.50/ton, storage shrink $4 to 8/ton, and feed out cost of $0.6 to 2/ton.
Corn market price
Another option is to use the OSU corn silage pricing tools which assist in calculating corn silage value based on market prices, which can be found at: https://go.osu.edu/cornsilageprice. This tool allows you to enter your yield estimates and corn market price to arrive at a price per ton and per acre. The tool also allows users to include the harvest cost of grain and silage to arrive at a fair market price for both the buyer and the seller. At Poet in Marion, Ohio, the current new crop price for October/November is $4.54/bu. With current corn prices, the market value of a 27-ton-per-acre corn silage ranges from $37 to 67/ton as fed. When including the harvest cost that the seller doesn’t incur, the value of the corn silage is $35.18/ton as fed while the upper value for the buyer based on feed value is $63.48/ton as-fed.
Alternative market ingredient value
Alternative ingredient market value (Sesame) calculates an economic value on corn silage based upon market costs of ground corn grain, alfalfa hay (silage), and various co-products. The Buckeye Dairy News regularly publishes and archives historical ingredient values and calculates predicted prices of various ingredients. Based on May prices, corn silage value per ton in recent years has been predicted at $85.82 74.33, 75.00, and $78.00 in years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively. Corn grain and 48% soybean meal price in those same years was $321/$455, $201/$384, $163/$307 and $174/$378/ton, respectively. “Home grown” corn silage is an economical and valuable ingredient into dairy farm rations. Get it grown, chopped, and packed properly.
Pricing Standing Corn Silage
Purchasing standing corn indicates that current silage inventory is limited, and more forage is required. Prior to buying standing corn, evaluate these options for alternative forages: 1) Plant a fall or winter cover crop. Spring oat, spring triticale, and annual/Italian ryegrasses are options for early August plantings. Oat and triticale can produce 2 to 2.5 ton/ac DM yield by mid-October in the boot stage or possible 3 ton/acre at head stage in early November; 2) Reduce current corn silage usage and replace with optional economically priced co-products. A dairy nutritionist educated in ration software optimization can provide “best cost” pricing of forage byproducts that could supply cost savings over purchasing standing corn silage; and 3) Reduce lactating or replacement herd inventory. Cull inefficient low-producing cows and reduce replacement heifer inventory to 75% of mature cows if expansion is not in the future.
Purchasing standing corn for silage can be accomplished in multiple ways. The agreement must be fair for both buyer (dairy farmer) and seller (crop farmer). Purchasing standing corn silage starts with determining the yield of grain of the standing corn. Then a grain price can be figured out by local cash markets, forward-contract, or delayed pricing. Add on the value of the silage fodder that is removed and deduct a harvest charge the seller will not incur. Each aspect of this pricing will be reviewed.
Grain yield determination
Determining the grain yield of standing corn can be estimated in several ways: 1) Leave multiple test blocks in each field that can be harvested as dry corn for yield; 2) Use a grain yield estimate calculated by crop insurance; 3) Harvest the standing corn as silage. Obtain tonnage and moisture at time of chopping. Adjust total silage tons to a 35% dry matter basis. Calculate the bushels of corn grain in each ton by using the equivalent factor of 0.15 tons of corn silage harvested equals one bushel of corn grain. Another general rule is each ton of corn silage contains 7 bushels of dry shelled corn; or 4) Use the starch content method, which requires a record of tons chopped and a forage test to determine starch content. Multiple forage tests should be used since different corn varieties have different starch content.
Starch method calculations
DM starch yield = as fed silage yield in pounds × % dry matter × % starch (DM basis)
Example: 27 ton/ac x 2000 lb/ton x 0.35 (dry matter of the silage) x 0.33 (% starch from feed analysis on a DM Basis) = 6,237 pounds of starch
Grain yield = lbs starch DM ÷ (% starch content) ÷ (DM % of shell corn at 56 lb/bu)
Example: 6,237 pounds of starch (from above) ÷ 0.72 (starch content of shelled corn) ÷ .845 (DM % of traded shelled corn) ÷ 56 lb/bu (shelled corn )=183 bu/acre of shelled corn
Add the stover value of the corn silage removed. Corn silage has roughly 50% stover on a dry basis. Value the stover based upon good quality grass hay. Every ton of harvested corn silage would remove about 400# of stover on a dry hay equivalent basis (15% moisture); 400 lb of grass hay at $120/ton market price would equate to $24/ton of fodder from the corn silage removed.
Remove the dry grain harvest cost for the seller since the grain producer will not be harvesting the crop as dry corn. The OSU Ohio Custom Rates Survey has a value of $10.50/ton to harvest, haul, and fill a corn silage bunker.
Example: Standing corn silage that yields 25-ton corn silage (35% DM) per acre. The 0.15 factor equates to 167-bushel corn grain. This factor may be low in high-yielding grain corn where a ton of silage may contain 8.6 bu of corn. Corn price of $4.52/bu generates $754/acre for grain yield. $754 divided by 25-ton corn silage equals $30.19/ton for the corn silage. Add $24 value of fodder and subtract the $10.50 harvest charge. The final price for the corn silage is: $30.19 + $24 - $10.50 = $43.69/ton.
Summary
Corn silage is a critical and key part of the production and economic return for your dairy farm. Prepare the equipment, set and monitor the correct chop length and kernel rolls, keep people safety first, and review and update equipment safety. Scout silage fields regularly for proper fungicide application. Communicate with silage contractors and neighbors on establishing the corn silage price. Have a safe, abundant, and blessed silage season.