Sorghum farming

[RanchHouse]

Did you know that sorghum is a gluten-free, non-GMO ancient grain? It is commonly used as feed for livestock, though people in certain parts of the world consume it. It can produce nutritious grain even with less water and fertilizer. Would you try this kind of farming if opportunities in consumer food and ethanol production kept rising?

 

[leon]

Sorghum farming is not very popular around where I stay. It is utilized in most ethanol plants and in processing livestock feed. I think that it is suitable for farmers with tracks of land.

 

[TammiT]

I have never heard of it before. Honesty I don't think I would try to grow it because I don't know if I could sell it. I am going to look into it though.

 

[RuralFarm]

Sorghum is a usual ingredient for livestock feed in some places. I didn't know that it is a gluten-free crop. By conducting sufficient research, a farmer can understand the market demand and supply.

 

[Guntar]

Did you know that sorghum is a gluten-free, non-GMO ancient grain? It is commonly used as feed for livestock, though people in certain parts of the world consume it. It can produce nutritious grain even with less water and fertilizer. Would you try this kind of farming if opportunities in consumer food and ethanol production kept rising?

Hi,
"with less water and fertilizer" what are you comparing it to?
I go grow Sorghum once in a while and in some fields.
For me, it is either corn or sorghum. Sorghum does better in alkaline soil, where corn doesn't do very well.
From my experience, sorghum requires about the same water and fertilizer.

 

[tmartboilerup]

Here's an interesting take from Magnetic newsletter [magnetic-ag.com] on how the pet business is keeping it booming. ------ Sorghum has a pet-filled pandemic to thank for its dynamite 2020. And the companion animal data doesn’t lie… The U.S. pet industry notched $99 billion in 2020. 21% of owners spent more on their pets during the pandemic. 12% of adults with children adopted a pet last year. Why it matters: With more four-legged friends comes lots and lots of kibbles. That’s where sorghum steps in. The cereal crop, in high demand due to being gluten-free and high in antioxidants, had a banner year as a top ingredient in pet food. Noting the $1.7 billion in pet food exports last year, Tim Lust of the National Sorghum Producers made it clear that sorghum is one hot commodity: "The pet food industry just continues to take more and more sorghum. And domestically, they have been very aggressively bidding against the international markets to try to make sure they get those supplies." Per usual, China is in the mix. With a big appetite for sorghum to feed their own livestock and produce alcohol for biofuels, the Asian kingpin is making markets move. In early March, China snatched up14 million U.S. bushels, pushing prices to a market tipping $5 per bushel. What’s ahead: The USDA thinks sorghum producers will double down with the demand. Early April reports pegged U.S. sorghum acres up 18% from 2020, with Kansas - the top producing state - scaling up 20% from last year.​