# Grain Sorghum



## Canderson012 (Jan 17, 2012)

First off are we "allowed" to discuss row cropping on this site or only sorghum used for forage? I am planning on planting grain sorghum on newly farmed ground in April. I am going to be planting with a grain drill. Anyone have experience plugging the drill for wider rows(plant populations ect)? Also grass control in sorghum. Thanks everyone!


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## gradyjohn (Jul 17, 2012)

Rows were developed for the mules to go down. Plugging holes is good but calibrate the drill to make sure you are putting out the right amound of seed per acre. The closer the row the more the canopy will shad the center and conserve moisture. I have a marliss drill that came with plugs to do the same. Maize stalks make good hay and have 5 to 6 percent protien. If you are going to use is for forage I would cut it in the boot stage ... could even get a second cut.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

With the popularity of corn (a food staple) being used to produce ethanol, folks in my area are trying to convert corn acres to grain sorghum, probably the less productive corn acres.

Murphy Brown LLC is the hog production group of Smithfield Foods, Inc. MB is trying to convert some of these corn acres to grain sorghum. Here is a link to the MB 2012 grain sorghum program:
http://mbgrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MurphyBrown_SorghumProgram_Draftv3.pdf

Pages 4 & 5 might help answer some of your questions.

Here is a link to the MB grain site:
http://mbgrain.com/

I wonder how much value there would be in baling the stalks and leftover after the grain is harvested?


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## gradyjohn (Jul 17, 2012)

Bonfire said:


> With the popularity of corn (a food staple) being used to produce ethanol, folks in my area are trying to convert corn acres to grain sorghum, probably the less productive corn acres.
> 
> Murphy Brown LLC is the hog production group of Smithfield Foods, Inc. MB is trying to convert some of these corn acres to grain sorghum. Here is a link to the MB 2012 grain sorghum program:
> http://mbgrain.com/w...ram_Draftv3.pdf
> ...


_*They say 5 to 6 percent protien after harvest. That is what I meant above.*_* I don't understand why row crop farmers that have cattle only bale the stalks when hay is not plentiful. Most supplement feeding anyway. This would supply the roughage plus some protien.*


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

I cannot speak for this forum's moderators, but grain sorghum is a grass, the stubble of which, after grain harvest, has been baled and used for a winter feed source for cattle in drought striken areas. Stubble also has been used for grazing cattle.

AgTalk might be a better forum to discuss this subject. However, you might consider using duck tape to close three successive drop holes in a drill that has 7-inch spacing between openers. This would allow seeding rows 28-inches apart. The drill would then be calibrated to seed about 7 to 7.5 lb of seed per acre. Seeding depth could be 1 - 3 inches. Mechanical cultivation and chemicals can be used for weed control. Before planting grain sorghum, be sure you know what chemicals were used for weed control in the previous crop.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

gradyjohn said:


> *This would supply the roughage plus some protien.*


I agree. Or graze it off going into the Winter.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Canderson012 said:


> First off are we "allowed" to discuss row cropping on this site or only sorghum used for forage? I am planning on planting grain sorghum on newly farmed ground in April. I am going to be planting with a grain drill. Anyone have experience plugging the drill for wider rows(plant populations ect)? Also grass control in sorghum. Thanks everyone!


Anderson, we are "allowed" to do most anything we want on this website as long as its done with civility....we are a casual bunch that do not spell correct one another and we try to be longbearing with one another in most instances.....so.., back to your grain sorghum question. Most grain sorghums are usually no-tilled with planters either on 30" rows and now more recently on 15" rows for grass/weed control. I battle barnyard grass here in TN, but there are many other nuisances. I ususally do a roundup/2-4d burndown of vegetation 30+ days before drilling. Ground temps need to be about 60+ degrees when planting. Seed populations run from low 30,000/acre to the low 40,000/acre dependant upon variety and row width and can run as high as 70,000/acre and up dependant on soil, rain and row width. Since your are growing for fodder, I suggest getting one of the varieties that grow about 5' to 6'high....some grow as short as 28"-30"(wildlife). Grain Sorghum(also called Milo) is very drought resisitant and can do well with a occasional timely rain. It is mainly grown in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas but will do well in most warm summer climates...it does like heat. Needs to be planted in a well drained soil. Grain sorghum is becoming a more important grain due to its trait of being "gluten free"...It is also a outstanding wildlife plot producer affording high protein and cover....needs to be planted as soon as the soil warms as it takes about 100-110 days to mature for most varieties and once the nightime temps drop below 55-60 degrees or so the plant will stop maturing. I grow grain sorghum almost every year somewhere....and performs very well in ground that may be marginal corn ground. I plant Milo HERE about 1 inch deep....it does not germinate well HERE from a deeper planting....1-2 inches is generally recommended HERE...especially in a heavier soil. Many of the mid-west growers have grown Milo at one time or another and can also chime in, as I probably overlooked something. Its fairly disease resistant and does not have to be baby sitted as much as corn. One other thing, if you combine milo, you can see the dust cloud from great distances.....cab needs to be tight....change/clean filters after combining. Just select a good variety for your needs and area and it will grow well. HTH

Regards, Mike


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

To add to what Mike wrote, grain sorghum grows well in the soil pH range from 6.2 to 7.8. It will grow at pH levels below 6.2, but soils intended for grain sorghum production should be limed if the pH is at or lower than 5.7. Soils at pH much below 5.5 will contain levels of soluble aluminum that can become toxic to plant growth and tie up soil phosphorus. If you ash pile areas from burning vegetation on this new ground, you might consider selecting a grain sorghum variety that is not susceptible to iron deficiency chlorosis.

At 30,000 seeds/acre the seeding rate approximates 4.5 lb seed/acre; 50,000 seeds/acre approximates 7.5 lb seed/acre.

Early planting is important in order to avoid sorghum midge, an insect that can infest late developing seed when temperatures become much hotter. Be on the lookout for this, and other insect pest and disease problems.

If you are interested in learning more about grain sorghum production, Dr. William F. Bennett, et. al. (1990) wrote a book, "Modern Grain Sorghum Production," published by Iowa State University Press/Ames. Don't know if this publication is still available for purchase.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Thanks for the book tip Vincent...I will see if I can find it in or out of production....and thanks for the tips on soil PH!.....I knew I would leave something out....and thats very important.

Regards, Mike


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Vol, do you combine your grain sorghum If so what kind of yield do you get? I was interested in raising some this coming year but my local seed dealer did not recommend it because he did not know anywhere that would buy it in western North Carolina. Do you have any trouble selling it? Thanks.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

FarmerCline said:


> Vol, do you combine your grain sorghum If so what kind of yield do you get? I was interested in raising some this coming year but my local seed dealer did not recommend it because he did not know anywhere that would buy it in western North Carolina. Do you have any trouble selling it? Thanks.


Thats the negative of Milo is that the further East its grown the more the market costs are....In my area it has to be shipped out toward the western end of the state....a good year here is 90 bu./acre....but closer to 75bpa. But its easy to grow and not too costly on inputs and can tolerate drought reasonably well. Probably be better off for you to grow beans....we just cannot get the yields on average here in the South that the mid-west fellas can. They just have alot better soil....but they freeze their tails off in the winter







.

Regards, Mike


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Yep my seed dealer told me my only hope of selling it would be to truck it down to the eastern part of the state and there's no guarantee that they would buy it. I do not want to take that chance being that this is my first year growing crops. Maybe in the next few years a market will develope closer by. I really like the idea of growing a variety of different crops. I know what you mean about our soil it seems like if its not bottom land it's not too rich. I would love to farm some of that flat rich land in the Midwest but like you said I would not want to be up there in the winter. Thanks.


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## Canderson012 (Jan 17, 2012)

I was talking with a lot of my ag buddies and they advised me on how hard it would be to keep the drill straight and have ugly rows if I plugged for wider rows to cultivate for weed control. So I might as well just plant regular width rows such 7.5inch or 9inch and count on Atrazine and other chemicals to control weeds. I appreciate everyones positive feedback and links! Next year is my first time row cropping, I'll need to be placed on a prayer list haha


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

Canderson012 said:


> I was talking with a lot of my ag buddies and they advised me on how hard it would be to keep the drill straight and have ugly rows


I always heard you get more in a crooked row.


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

KSU has done a study looking at row widths on milo production. We are starting to see more guys in KS go back to planted milo instead of drilled, same with beans. I knew a handfull of guys who plugged every other row on their 7.5" drills. Works okay, but not ideal. Trend we are strting to see is 20" and twin rows. Canopy effect, with less crouwding of root system. Rule of thumb when drilling is to overseed about 10% to make up for poorer germination from drills, usually attributed to lack of seed to soil contact, or seeds bouncing out of the slot.

Another advantage of rowed milo is the use of a row crop head over a grain table. It's slower, but a study by University of Illinois showed field losses increased with a grain table compared to row crop head, as much as 50% if I remember correctly. This was with milo guards.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Canderson, You have received some good advice here. You should make sure that the chemicals previously used on your farm are OK for sorghum production. I was in a seed meeting yesterday and the Dekalb rep said that they were out of sorghum seed. May want to get that nailed down also.The one good thing about sorghum in our area is that it will wait a good bit of time for rain without dying. Bonfire, was MB putting sorghum in those white bags outside their plant on 460? I haul grain down to R.O. Mayes when Purdue is backed up and saw them constantly filling grain bags there. Mike


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> Bonfire, was MB putting sorghum in those white bags outside their plant on 460?


I think so. That's what I was told.


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