Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Grain sorghum in United States

Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants, either cultivated or as part of pasture.

All grain sorghum produced during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was used as feed for draft animal, livest0ock and poultry.

The vast majority of grain sorghum produced in the United States today continues to be used as feed, with a small amount used as food and a considerable amount exported.

About 15 percent of the US grain sorghum crop currently goes into ethanol production with one bushel of grain sorghum producing the same amount of ethanol as one bushel of corn.

United States sorghum production has become more popular with the breeding of dwarf grain sorghum hybrids which are only about 3 feet tall (versus 10 feet tall of wild sorghum) and are easier to harvest with a combine.

The US Grade divides grain sorghum into four classes: yellow grain sorghum, white grain sorghum: brown grain sorghum: and mixed grain sorghum.

Sorghum is normally cultivated as an annual, In warm climates such as the Texas Gulf Coast, grain sorghum can be managed to produce new tillers after the first harvest and grow as second grain crop.
Grain sorghum in United States

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