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Often the only difference between making good silage or poor silage is the moisture content at the time of ensiling. Optimum fermentation of both silage and haylage depends largely on moisture content.
Once a decision has been made to harvest the immature corn crop as silage, it is easy to become too anxious. As with normal silage, the proper stage for chopping is 60 to 65 percent moisture.
Shown here is a method that will serve as a quick, on-farm moisture tester guide for your hay and silages. Of note, using this method for estimating moisture content of already ensiled silage may produce undesirable odors in the kitchen. Drying fresh-cut forage is often more tolerable. 
