55-58. Further and more detailed information can be found on the Millet and sorghum fact sheet produced as part of the 3030 Project. Karla H. Jenkins UNL Cow/Calf, Range Management Specialist. As pasture becomes more limited and more expensive, crop residues will become increasingly important to the profitability of cattle operations. Research using BMR and PS sorghum-sudangrasses has produced average daily gains between 2 and 3 pounds per head per day over an 80-day grazing period. Additionally, grain sorghum now qualifies as an advanced biofuel increasing its appeal to ethanol plants. Their stems contain a sweet juice used on a small scale for sugar making. Sorghum grain is a small, hard caryopsis covered by glumes. There likely would be only small differences for finishing cattle because of the small amount of roughage included in those diets. Of the forage ... while sorghum-sudan, bermudagrass, pearl millet, and big bluestem are warm-season species. Members of the Sorghum family contain dhurrin, a glucoside that breaks down to release hydrocyanic acid also known as prussic acid. Research evaluating corn residue and sorghum residue for growing calves was reported by Irlbeck and others in the 1990 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report pp. This creates a digestible forage resource (about 56% TDN) that cattle do not have to dig through the snow to find. Grain sorghum is used like corn, but has adapted better than corn to drought. Only about 50% of that is consumed by the animal so producers can figure 8 lbs. Warm-season cereal grains you might choose for grazing are sorghum sudan and pearl millet. Since sorghum contains high moisturising contents, it is a very difficult task to make hay from it and hence, it is provided as silage to the cattle to eat. Corn protein is an important constituent of ethanol production byproducts that are used in feed rations for cattle. Those researchers found cattle grazing corn residue fields gained more than those grazing sorghum residue fields, most likely due to the amount of residual grain left in the field. Copyright © 2021. The seed can be ground or mixed into feed for dairy cattle. Trudan Headless. âDepending on the producerâs goal, with sorghum we have the ability to graze, hay, or put it into silage,â Holman said. Sorghum is a non-GMO, gluten free, ancient grain that is most commonly used as feed for livestock but is also a popular food grain for people residing in Asia and Africa. In Europe, knowledge about its use as a fodder crop for dairy cattle has been gained, particularly in France and Italy. Forage Sorghums includes sorgo, sweet sorghum, dual purpose (grain and forage) varieties, and hybrids. In recent years grain sorghum has begun to gain popularity again in Nebraska for a couple of reasons. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. This is the reason that frosted sorghum is dangerous to feed until it dries out. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Sorghum has similar feed properties to corn, and it has been noted the energy value of sorghum is between 90 -100% the energy value of corn (Etuk et. Grain sorghum has long since been a major grain crop for the Texas Panhandle and parts of Kansas. But it's not a one-for-one replacement and there are a few tricks to feeding it properly. Grain and forage sorghum have a longstanding history in cattle production and fit well as a reliable... Swine Production. After grain has been harvested, livestock can be pastured on sorghum stubble ⦠Under certain conditions, livestock may develop symptoms of prussic acid poisoning if these forages are fed. Sorghum, Johnsongrass, and Shattercane are much higher in prussic acid than sudangrass. Brown Mid Rib Trait or BMR. al., 2012). Grain sorghum residue provides similar quality to corn residue and can be more accessible in winters with deep snow cover. Or it could grow forage sorghum. Grain sorghum or milo can be readily substituted for corn in cattle rations, says Warren Rusche, South Dakota State University Extension cow-calf field specialist. Sorghum cereal grass is primarily grown to provide grain to cattle and serve as fodder. In general, grinding milo finer results in improved feed efficiency compared to coarser particle sizes Grain sorghum residue is very similar to corn stalks and makes an excellent resource for fall grazing cows.". Registered in England and Wales. They are sometimes fed as greenchop, silage, or hay. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), also known as milo, has a variety of uses including food for human consumption, feed grain for livestock and industrial applications such as ethanol production. Grain sorghum or milo can be readily substituted for corn in cattle rations, says Warren Rusche, South Dakota State University Extension cow-calf field specialist. The Legacy. According to a June 2014 NASS report, 140,000 acres were planted for sorghum grain harvest in 2013 and that was up to 160,000 in 2014 in Nebraska. If cattle or horses have been grazing sorghum prior to the non-killing freeze, they should be removed immediately and not allowed to graze the sorghum until five days after a killing freeze has occurred. Advantages of sorghum as livestock feed More information is available on the Millet and sorghum fact sheet. It is a crop that can withstand substantial water shortage and produce acceptable yields as long as the growing season is favorable for its maturity. Photo credit: Alta Seeds. Because milo is more variable in starch and protein content than corn, periodic feed testing is warranted if it will be the base of a finishing diet. Grazing sorghum following a light non-killing freeze poses the greatest risk since any new growth can be particularly high in prussic acid. Sorghum contains hydrogen cyanide, high levels of which may poison ruminants. See Grazing Crop Residues With Beef Cattle, EC278 for more information (avaiable for purchase for $2.50 at UNL Marketplace). Prussic acid is released very rapidly from the glucoside form in frozen leaves. The energy content of milo is usually about 85% of that for corn grain, which is usually reflected in price, Rusche says. "The seed coat of milo is essentially indigestible, so the crop needs to be ground or rolled for feeding. Use sorghum with BMR for growing calves or ⦠Sorghums used for forage fall into four categories (Suttie, 2000): Grain sorghums. Expect cattle to sort through the stalk bales when fed in round bale feeders. Livestock Feed The Smart Choice for Animal Agriculture. In the past, research demonstrated sorghum grain contained 96 percent the energy content of corn (Cromwell et al., 1985). However, these researchers also reported in a winter with 15 inches of snow, cattle grazing sorghum residue had an advantage due to more available leaf residue. of grain produced. Deciding what species to plant as a cover crop for grazing depends, first, on the planting date, but also on your needs for forage quality and grazing season. This is most likely due to the harvest method of sorghum. Grain Sorghum also called milo, used for grain production in arid regions. This can cause an increase in forage wastage and the amount of feed inventory needed for the feeding period. Grain Sorghum Uses Livestock Feed. For best results the whole grain should be cracked or coarsely ground. It is usually not considered for forage production because of low dry matter yield. Farm Progress is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Some parts of this site work best with JavaScript enabled. Prussic acid will breakdown in one to two weeks, so material made into hay or silage is safe to use. There is little danger of prussic acid poisoning in grazing most varieties of sudangrass. Sorghum silage works well in gestating cow diets. As forage sorghum is used mainly for cattle grazing, hay production and silage our forage sorghum varieties feature superior stem quality, standability, high sugar levels, high dry matter production, and low prussic acid levels. Sudangrass and other types of sorghum or sorghum-sudangrass hybrids are often planted for summer pasture. It can also be used for dairy and swine. The drought of 2011-2013 made the hardy crop more favorable in areas of Nebraska where either irrigation is limited or farming is conducted on dryland acres. Although, research has shown sor- ghum grain to be comparable to corn in beef finishing diets, the market often values sorghum less than corn. The University of Florida, NFREC has begun research on the potential of the newer sorghum materials to provide a high-quality and cost-effective winter feed for beef cattle operations. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain is the fifth major staple cereal after wheat, rice, maize and barley. 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. Similar to pearl millet, sorghum is not a new crop; however, breeding efforts have improved the nutritional quality of this crop when used, for example, as whole-plant silage for cattle feeding. Forage Selection for Livestock All Sudan/Sorghum forages are good choices for dairy and beef cattle feed. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. 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