Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo Auction Link (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Anyone grow sorgham for silage?

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
ShepFL

04-17-2007 13:57:16




Report to Moderator

Have access to some acreage that the owner would like to see planted in something plus he would like to see some some young folks come around.

Last week I reached out to the CORN MAZE folks and seriously thinking of this. Feed corn is to spendy so I was thinking of sorgham but to me this is basically Johnson Grass.

I am thinking of growing something like this that can then be sold as standing silage or do the chopping myself and selling silage to local cattlemen.

What are your experiences with sorghum? Can it be grown and made into a maze? If left standing till dry what can be done with it other than mowing it down? How much investment (time & $$) is it to grow, chop and sell silage? Alternatives welcome.

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
Howard H.

04-17-2007 23:46:44




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  

Back when the gov limited the acres you could plant, I tried some sorghum silage a couple of years for the local feedyard.

I planted a Dekalb variety - FS-25 or FX-25 - it put a big old shaggy head of grain on and got about 8-10 feet tall with a pretty stiff stalk. Seems like I made about 18-20 tons per acre under irrigation.

Howard



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
george md

04-17-2007 22:47:29




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
Shep,

I don't know how it would work for a maze,
but if want to make a lot of good silage ,plant
a bushel of black wilson soy beans and a half
bushel of the medium height sorgum . That will
give you more and better silage than corn.Do not
use the yellow beans ,they don't make tonnage.
Neighbor always raised corn for silo and we always had beans and sorgum, he would make 2
rounds around the field to get a load and I got 2 loads to a round .I chopped it with a gehl chopper with a direct cut grass head and a 730 case diesel,that is a low gear operation.
Sorgum would grow to minimum of 5 feet tall to
12 feet in the lower fields and the beans in it would be 4 to 5 feet tall and thick enough
that you absolutely could not walk thru it .
Here in Md if you planted it in may it would be ready for silo by the first of sept .We filled a trench silo with at least 400 tons a year plus
what we chopped green to feed the herd every
day. Raised a little sudex once in a while ,
poor feed compared to the other.

george

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
JOHN HARMON

04-17-2007 20:45:08




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
In 1970 in N.Central Ill. the Corn Crop was devastated by a Blight which caused the Plant to not produce an Ear with Kernals and most Stalks were of inferior quality and not much good for any thing except Silage. We made a lot of Silage that year and by adding Urea [a chemical feed additive],Salt and Minerals we were able to salvage some of the Corn Crop as Cattle feed. We raised 5 acres of Sorghum/Sudax and chopped it,as a quick fix but the resulting crop was so low in needed Nutriants that it was a failure as a feed crop for lactating Dairy Cattle.True this Crop was not of a Variety which produced a Grain Head but it still was of the pure Sorghim Family.It was a Roughage only Crop to us.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
iowa_tire_guy

04-17-2007 19:10:39




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
We used to grow it in Kansas for cowfeed. Usually baled it but could be made to silage. If I was doing a maze with it I would drill it instead of row planting. Get the forage sorghum and plant it thick and it would make a great maze. The best feed was when we planted 25 lbs to the acre.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Weldon K

04-17-2007 18:30:32




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
Here is a link to Southern States seed catalog with info on sorghum varieties for silage or grain (milo). Also the sorghum-sudan crosses and millets.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
barnrat

04-17-2007 17:08:03




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
Yes but it's likely not the sorgrum your thinking of. I grow the BMR varieties. I mow it down when it's about 30" to 36" tall and chop it for silage. Cows milk like crazy off the stuff. Or I graze the milk cows on it when it get about 24" tall. I know the stuff can get about 5-6 feet tall if you don't harvest it, although it dosn't have much feed value at that time. And around here in SW NY state the stuff would be so rank and heavy you'd never get the moisture out of it enough to chop.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Farmered

04-18-2007 03:49:50




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to barnrat, 04-17-2007 17:08:03  
Hey Barnrat, give me a growl on email as to where you are in SWNY. Thanks, Ed. carylanded@aol.com



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Glen in TX

04-17-2007 16:45:24




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
Shep, What we call regular sorghum, milo, or maize here won't be tall enough for a maze. Check with seed dealers around you to see what is available. Most is darn sure not just sudan grass but yes there is a sudan cross in most of the haygrazer varieties and many of those if planted close to milo sorghum will polenate and make grain also. Several times we have mixed haygrazer and milo varities on purpose so it would grain a bit to make better hay. There are several sorghum sudan haygrazer varieties out there now for silage or hay and some can be grazed right in the field. If you don't get enough rain and it stresses it nitrates will be higher and you'll need to have it tested to make sure it's safe. Even after a good rain or freeze need to test nitrate levels because if you chop or bale it with high nitrate levels they will still be there and could kill cattle when fed later. The nitrates will higher in lower part of plant of course so don't harvest or graze until nitrate levels are back down or if down some to harvest don't cut it off right at ground leave some sticking up so don't get as many nitrates in it. I've seen some that was tested and safe to finally cut off for hay and then later some cattle got out in field on stubble stalks pulling them out to eat and died on the spot from nitrates in lower part of plant left and roots. If a good year with lots of rain don't worry about it. Many of the true sorghum silage varieties make better feed if they go to grain and there are also some called brown mid rib varieties. Some are better for hay while others are better for silage so do some homework on it or ask others around you what works good for them. It will have good feed value depending on how and when you put it up but not near what corn is. If it freezes and you want to direct graze it you need to wait at least a week or longer after hard freeze and that's still only if plenty of rain and low nitrate levels. If nitrates get too high in it during a severe drought about you can do with it later is burn it off so someone else's cattle or your own don't get in it. Seen some spend the money to bale it all up with nitrates too high and all they could do later was burn the hay and lost what they spent on it so it can take more management than corn.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
charles hess

04-17-2007 16:36:27




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
Will add to what others said it was a cheap crop to grow many tons of silage I think we planted it with corn an used about a bag of seed to 10 acres of 38inch rows.This was also about 30 yrs ago Stuff was so thick mice had to go to end of field to get around!!!! We planted Atlas i think.Neighbor planted some that i could not reach top standing on tractor rear wheels.There are also shorter varities avaible that get really big grain heads on them an are combined.It is a plant that is drought resistant an does not not need to be planted till soil is about 65 degrees. It is poinsous when frozen !!!!! Should be looked into as a crop for ethanol.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
cadet trooper

04-17-2007 15:01:05




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to ShepFL, 04-17-2007 13:57:16  
Shep, I can only tell you my experience with sorguhm many years ago and that was probably in the mid to late fifties. Dad raised it to fill silo for our dairy cows. I know it is loaded with sugar and man does it smell great after it has been ensiled? Smelled like sweet apples and the cows would knock you down to get to it as far as feed value I'm not sure I know our cows got pretty fat and they were on a limited ration to a generous 12tine ensilage fork full topped with a level feed scoop mixture of ground corn and oats a small cup of dairy supplement each milking and during the day all the hay they wanted. Couple real quick issues the darn stuff is heavy so watch filling a big forage box as full as corn because you will have some flat tires and a 12ton box will become a 14 or 16 ton box real quick you'll have strain on web chains and moving parts also undercarriage problems. It doesn't or didn't handle frost well once frosted it's done. Hope this helps take care, CT.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
landlord7012

04-17-2007 15:34:27




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to cadet trooper, 04-17-2007 15:01:05  
My FIL once told me it is "toxic" once the frost gets it. Any truth to that?

ll



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
dan hill

04-19-2007 16:51:33




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to landlord7012, 04-17-2007 15:34:27  
Prussic acid is the poison to watch out for.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
CumminsMan

04-17-2007 15:54:17




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to landlord7012, 04-17-2007 15:34:27  
Toxic yes, I forget exactly when but has to do with Nitrogen content of plant. Too much N will kill a cow DEAD! Chopping for silage is fine, must chop before head stage, its the later stages that will get you into trouble. If it heads, must wait till after a killing frost, then the cows can graze it or you can bale. What about harvesting?



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
charles hess

04-17-2007 16:49:42




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to CumminsMan, 04-17-2007 15:54:17  
As for harvesting ,we choped with a Case 1 row an dc tractor an it feed in better than corn but had to sometimes stop an give tractor a break!!!!! Should be a blast choping witth todays choppers !!!As for feeding you can bale or chop after it is frozen but needs to be dry so it is not toxic an that is next to impossible. Also if you have a dry period an than it rains it should not be chopped for couple days as that is dangerious also. Check with your extension agent as i am relying on my memory as others also.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
charles hess

04-17-2007 16:49:12




Report to Moderator
 Re: Anyone grow sorgham for silage? in reply to CumminsMan, 04-17-2007 15:54:17  
As for harvesting ,we choped with a Case 1 row an dc tractor an it feed in better than corn but had to sometimes stop an give tractor a break!!!!! Should be a blast choping witth todays choppers !!!As for feeding you can bale or chop after it is frozen but needs to be dry so it is not toxic an that is next to impossible. Also if you have a dry period an than it rains it should not be chopped for couple days as that is dangerious also. Check with your extension agent as i am relying on my memory as others also.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy