Corn silage in western Nebraska is being harvested. The silage is the result of chopping the whole corn plant and packing it in a way that will ferment.
The corn is still green, but it has stopped supplying nutrients to the grain on the cob, typically known as the black layer. The properly processed silage is fed to the Panhandle Research Feedlot cattle and is a key component of their rations throughout the winter months. It comes at a time when irrigation water deliveries were to cease for most surface water irrigation districts in the North Platte Valley on or around Sept. 16. The Pathfinder Irrigation District is diverting approximately 1,700 cubic feet per second, and Goshen/Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation District is diverting approximately 1,375 cfs.
