Hello BC-KO

You'll harvest the most nutrients/acre cutting it in the soft dough stage. The problem that I have here with trying to put it up dry is that I'm at the mercy of Mother Nature, requiring a stretch of good drying weather. That never seems to happen & then end up with poor quality rained on spoiled feed. Chopping at the soft dough stage (65% M.C.), chopper can run right behind the swather [less loss (broken heads that fall to the ground) than cutting with mo-co], pretty much eliminating the chance of spoiled feed. You can feed it to all cattle. Hopefully Mother Nature co-operates with you.