Consider several key aspects of forage sorghum management to ensure success: (1) grow it in a situation where it is adapted and will result in economical feed, (2) pay attention to planting depth and planting date, (3) select a hybrid adapted to the area, and (4) harvest on time and with good silage management practices. The final average expected yield across the U.S. will be around 76 bushels per acre, which is just below the record set in 2016 at 77.9 bushels per acre. Sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers. The best plant population will depend on whether the field is dryland or irrigated. Starter fertilizers similar to those used for corn can be used with forage sorghum when planted with a row planter, but if the crop is drilled they should be avoided to prevent starter fertilizer injury. Severe drought stress or cool, late season temperatures may delay the maturity of the crop. Seeding depth should be 1 in. Forage sorghum is a member of the sorghum family and is closely related to grain sorghum, broomcorn, sorghum-sudangrass, and sudangrass. Sorghum for syrup can be planted with a corn planter or with a grain drill at a rate of 10 to 15 lb/acre. The nutrient recommendation for a soil testing in the optimum range for P and K is 120 pounds of N, 65 pounds of P2O5, and 120 pounds of K2O for a crop with a 21-ton per acre yield potential. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. In order to best estimate the yield potential of grain sorghum, we need to understand the main plant components of sorghum yield. If moisture stress becomes severe, sorghum will become dormant until the stress is relieved. 30,600. The recommended chop length is 3/8- to ½-inch. Research indicates that 3 inches of water are saved in the soil profile when weeds are controlled in a timely manner after the winter wheat harvest. Fewer herbicides are available for forage sorghum compared to corn, so control of some problem weeds may be a challenge without tillage. USDA forecasts this year's average sorghum farm price at $3.25 per bushel. NASS publications cover a wide range of subjects, from traditional crops, such as corn and wheat, to specialties, such as mushrooms and flowers; from calves born to hogs slaughtered; from agricultural prices to land in farms. Nonsterile (grain bearing) forage sorghums can be harvested for grain. We can get 12 quintals of yield per acre on an average basis. Nutrient requirements should be adjusted for previous crop credits and manures. Cereal yield (kg per hectare) from The World Bank: Data. Sorghum yield and forage quality are maximized at levels between 60 and 72 percent moisture content. Adapted forage sorghums range from full season in southeastern counties to early maturity in the short-season areas of the state. Smaller seed size and higher temperature requirements for sorghum result in slower emergence and lower seedling vigor compared to corn. Forage sorghum typically dries down slowly. Because prussic acid is volatile, it dissipates during the harvesting and ensiling process and is rarely a problem in sorghum silage. Nonprotein nitrogen additives such as urea and anhydrous ammonia can make forage sorghum almost a complete ration for growing heifers. Ella Johnston of Fulton County, Pennsylvania produced 245.86 bushels per acre. A Pennsylvania farmer hit a new dryland yield record in the National Sorghum Producers yield contest. However, forage sorghum grows rapidly when temperatures rise in July and August. Sorghum maturity is rated either as full, medium, and early or by the days needed to flower. Learn how the World Bank Group is helping countries with COVID-19 (coronavirus). 2550. Get notified when we have news, courses, or events of interest to you. Maturity is an important consideration for the medium-season and short-season areas of Pennsylvania. For dryland production of forage sorghum or sorghum/sudangrass in Montana, seed in wide rows (21 to 28 - inch) with 5 to 8 pounds per acre. Sorghum is 8 inches on average. When high nitrate levels are suspected, leave 10 to 12 inches of stalk in the field, because nitrates tend to accumulate in this region of the plant. Planters should be set to place seed at a depth of ¾ to 1¼ inches. Air planters may require a special drum or plate. This usually occurs between the medium-dough and hard-dough stages. Sorghum can provide an almost-complete ration for these animals when supplemented properly. Forage sorghums have even been grown successfully in short-season areas of Pennsylvania where 95-day corn is considered full season. Forage sorghum yields also can be reduced with late planting, although not to the extent yields would be reduced with late-planted corn. This year’s top yield and Bin Buster winner is Santino Santini of New Jersey with 212.5 bushels per acre. USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Information. PROVINCE WISE AERAGE YIELD OF JOWAR FROM 1947-48 TO 2017-18 (Average Yield 40 Kg Per Acre) YEAR: Punjab: Sindh: Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw: Balochistan: PAKISTAN Forage sorghum is also particularly well suited to some classes of livestock, such as dairy heifers and dry cows. Grain sorghum yields exceeding 100 bushels per acre have been obtained in Wisconsin (Table 2). sorghum in Texas is 2 pounds per acre of elemental N for each 100 pounds per acre of grain production expected. Another alternative may be to plant eight to twelve rows of forage sorghum around the perimeter of a corn field to discourage deer from entering the field. Nitrates can be a problem with forage sorghum as they are with corn silage, but again this is rare and usually associated with harvesting a heavily manured or fertilized crop during or immediately following a severe stress such as a drought. Questionable forage can be tested for prussic acid (HCN) at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Summerdale Laboratory in Harrisburg (717-787-8808). The annual area under it ranges between 17 and 18 million hectares and the annual production between 8 and 10 million tonnes. Generally, forage sorghum silage has 75% to 85% of the energy value of corn silage per unit of dry matter, while other summer annual grasses have 60% to 80% percent of the value of corn silage. Forage sorghum can be a profitable alternative crop, provided that it is managed well and used in the right situations. Nutrient requirements can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the recommendation by 30-15-30 pounds for each 4-ton per acre change in the yield goal. This is about 3-4 seeds per foot of row in 30 inch rows and translates into about 5 pounds of seed per acre. National Sorghum Producers has announced the winners of the 2019 NSP Yield Contest. Excessive seeding rates can increase the risk of lodging problems. For Heckemeyer, his typical 200 acres of sweet sorghum will yield approximately 200 gallons of syrup per acre in average growing conditions, upwards of 300 and beyond in a good year. This causes harvest delays because of prussic acid concerns, and may result in forage quality reductions. (DTN photo by … Like most crops, forage sorghum responds well to good silage management practices--harvest at the right moisture content for the silo, chop uniformly, fill the silo as quickly as possible, and pack the silage well. Only drawback about agriculture is we cannot simply predict the production for an area like we do in factories. km) Download. LUBBOCK, Texas (Dec. 16, 2020) – National Sorghum Producers is proud to announce a new U.S. dryland sorghum yield record has been set at 245.86 bushels per acre by Ella Johnston of Fulton County, Pennsylvania, in the 35th National Sorghum Yield Contest. in sandy soil. Be sure that the herbicides you select are labeled for sorghum harvested for silage. Show the Data by Histogram. CSV XML EXCEL. A Pennsylvania sorghum grower set a U.S. record for dryland yields with a field that topped out at 245.86 bushels per acre, in the 2020 Sorghum Yield Contest. “Congratulations to the 2017 NSP Yield Contest Winners. Wait four days following a killing frost to harvest forage sorghum. Under these conditions, forage sorghum may be an attractive alternative to corn. Here, substitution of forage sorghum for corn can make a large difference in the profitability of a silage production enterprise (Table 5). Some evidence indicates that sorghum may utilize N from previous crops such as soybeans more effectively than corn, but this has not been confirmed in Pennsylvania. Total income from 1 acre Sorghum cultivation: The minimum support price for Sorghum for the year 2018-19 is Rs. It is important to pay attention to these details to ensure consistent success with forage sorghum. Sorghum growers from 24 states entered to win this year’s National Sorghum Producer Yield Contest, with this year’s top yield at 228.07 bushels per acre. Seed broadcasting should be avoided. I look forward to meeting each one at the upcoming Commodity Classic,” said NSP board of directors Chairman Don Bloss. Consequently, they are also adapted to fields where deer damage makes corn production unprofitable. On droughty, shallow soils, however, forage sorghum yields may be more consistent than corn. See All Pest, Disease and Weed Identification, See All Beer, Hard Cider, and Distilled Spirits, See All Community Planning and Engagement, Off-Season and Accelerated Lamb Production. This number is a testament to better hybrids being planted today and implementation of better management practices by growers. Too often it has been regarded as an emergency crop and not managed to obtain its top potential. Occasionally, in good years, forage sorghum production may exceed silage storage capabilities on the farm. Seed lots often contain about 14,000 to 17,000 seeds per pound, and sorghum emergence is often about 75 percent, so these planting rates will result in plant populations of 85,000 to 150,000 plants per acre. In addition, the risk of corn rootworm damage to corn following sorghum is low and no rootworm insecticide treatment is required for the corn. Table 1. But the crop once again proved its impressive versatility this year, after sorghum grower Ella Johnston, of Fulton County, Pennsylvania, set a new U.S. record for dryland sorghum production with a field that hit 245.86 bushels per acre (bpa), in the National Sorghum Producer’s 2020 Sorghum Yield Contest. of Farmers 30 50 55 40 20 Sorghum will continue to grow when adjacent corn fields are exhibiting leaf rolling due to water stress. Forage sorghum is a large, warm-season, annual grass that is adapted to Pennsylvania and can be grown as a silage crop. Find Out . It has less tolerance than corn to cool soil conditions under heavy residue or to soils that may be wet where furrow closure is a problem. Harvesting drier sorghum can reduce the energy and protein value. Although occasional infestations of aphids can develop in the whorl or on the heads of sorghum, these rarely cause any economic damage. Forage sorghum silage is usually slightly lower in energy than corn silage and is similar in protein. In many Pennsylvania situations, corn silage will produce high yields of a high quality forage and is a preferred silage crop compared to forage sorghum. Each inch of soil water increases the yield of corn or grain sorghum by approximately 12 bushels. Nutrient requirements can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the recommendation by 30-15-30 pounds for each 4-ton per acre change in the yield goal. For example, the minimum temperature for sorghum growth is about 60°F and highest yields occur when the mean temperatures during the growing season are between 75°F and 80°F. NEL = net energy of lactation, NEM = net energy of maintenance, and NEG = net energy of gain. These animals have lower energy requirements than lactating animals or those on a finishing ration. Sorghum roots produce a substance that is toxic to corn rootworm larvae so sorghum can be planted following corn without the use of a soil insecticide. Sudangrass can be drilled or broadcast at a seeding rate of 25 to 30 pounds per acre. Entering your postal code will help us provide news or event updates for your area. Kansas farmer Kimberly Gamble took first place in the Irrigated West category at 223.51 bpa. This rotation facilitates manure spreading and contributes nicely to a nutrient management plan because of the large amounts of N and other nutrients removed from the soil. Farmers who participate in the National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest, however, achieve impressive yields, too. Forage sorghum should be fertilized similar to corn for silage. Read More.. The nutrient recommendation for a soil testing in the optimum range for P and K is 120 pounds of N, 65 pounds of P 2 O 5, and 120 pounds of K 2 O for a crop with a 21-ton per acre yield potential. “When corn and grain sorghum prices are equal, grain sorghum is a more profitable crop to grow until corn yields exceed 141 bushels per acre,” Staggenborg says. By entering your email, you consent to receive communications from Penn State Extension. Yield per Acre (Quintal) 2 - 3 4 - 5 6 - 7 8 - 9 10 - 11 No. Soil pH should be maintained above 6.0 with target pH of 6.5. Grain sorghum seed size is typically 14,000 to 16,000 seeds per pound, but can range from 9,000 to 22,000 seeds per pound. The concern of prussic acid and nitrate poisoning is greatest when sorghum is grazed less that 24 to 30 inches in height, immediately after a killing frost, or on regrowth of sorghum killed by an early frost. Then total returns will be Rs. It is used for human consumption, fodder animal feed, and for the production of starch, adhesive, paper, etc. Seeding rates range from about 60,000 to 80,000 seeds per acre. Generally, this delayed maturity will not be a major problem if the crop is harvested for silage. Some growers in full-season areas of Pennsylvania have utilized a double-crop rotation to produce dry cow and heifer feed very economically. Because of the lower quality of forage sorghum crops compared to corn, they are best used in situations where forage sorghum yields are higher than corn or where livestock energy requirements are less than what is supplied by corn silage. Even when the reduced value of forage sorghum silage is considered, forage sorghum can be more profitable than corn in some situations (Table 3). You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Forage sorghums are also adapted to farms that experience considerable deer damage to corn. Grain sorghum will produce more grain per inch of moisture up to about 24 inches, compared with corn. Brown Mid Rib Trait or BMR. Once established, forage sorghum is a competitive crop and will shade many weeds later in the season. Producer yields are highlighted in five different categories from the eastern and western regions of the U.S. Since forage sorghum is adapted to warm conditions, early season growth is also slow compared to corn. In most areas, yields will be maximized with a mid-May to early June planting date. Consult the Penn State Agronomy Guide for the latest weed control recommendations. Sorghum, on the other hand ranged from 160 to 140 bushels per acre. Be aware of the potential for prussic acid poisoning or nitrate toxicity with forage sorghum, but also realize that these problems are not normally a concern when sorghum is harvested for silage. Forage sorghum can also be grown in a mixture with corn on such fields. This will crack more kernels and reduce the potential for kernel passage through the animals. Consider using a recutter screen if the crop is dry and the grains are hard. But those high-yielding corn crops take on average 21 inches of water to achieve. Typical yields in those regions are 100-150 bushels per acre, but Schnell said a good number of producers reported 150-180 bushel per acre yields. Like other crops, it responds to good management; paying attention to the details of producing forage sorghum will improve the likelihood of success with the crop. The seed should not be sowed more than 2 – 3 cm depth. On more productive soils, with favorable moisture and fertility, corn is a better silage crop, producing comparable yields and higher feed value than forage sorghums and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, (Table 1). Forage sorghum is most often planted in rows with a corn planter to facilitate harvest, reduce lodging, and permit cultivation for weed control. 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