The Penn State Extension dairy team has worked with 143 dairy operations consistently in the past 5 years to develop cash flow plans, monitor income over feed costs and cost of production. From this group, 50 farms were selected to test corn silage quality, fecal starch and milk urea nitrogen and evaluate its impact on farm profitability. Forty-four farms completed their actual cash flow plan for 2013 and sampled their corn silage in the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014. Producers responded to questions related to corn hybrids planted and feeding management practices. Additional farms were added for 2014–2015. The total number of farms completing the project was 56. Farms utilized between 1 to 13 different corn hybrids and the process for selection ranged from the cheapest seed to crop yields. Quality parameters such as neutral detergent fiber and starch digestibility did not routinely factor into the decision process. Farms incorporating best feeding and cropping management practices showed a 5.8-lb milk increase versus their counterparts. Over the 2-year period milk urea nitrogen and fecal starch levels consistently fell within recommended parameters and there was no association to forage quality or feeding management practices. Average changes in 7-h starch digestibility fall to spring tended to increase for farms that had the same corn hybrid and same structure during the seasonal sampling period (M = 6.5 SD = 5.01), which is expected and illustrated in controlled research studies. However, this trend was not observed for farms that had either hybrid blends or that changed hybrid and or structure during the sampling period (M = 1.8 SD = 4.85). They had more varied changes in starch digestibility and were different than the same farms F(1,50) = 7.135, P = 0.01. Forage quality and quantity are the foundation for developing successful and profitable rations. Producers benefit from advisors that understand cropping, feeding and economics to help them make smarter decisions. There are opportunities for producers to examine more closely hybrid selection decisions and evaluate how quality parameters affect animal production and cash surplus.