Most rapid growing fodder crop in a drought

[Pilatus]

Google “Sorghum as a forage crop”, lots of info from around the world

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Must admit, I only know what I've googled about it and it ain't exactly selling it to me.

I agree with post #15.

 

[Headless chicken]

Google “Sorghum as a forage crop”, lots of info from around the world

i only seem to be able to find details as a comparison to maize silage and not Acutual figures

 

[sidjon]

i only seem to be able to find details as a comparison to maize silage and not Acutual figures

We grown it as cover crop, but did eat it at end of shooting season.

https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/farm/feedbase-and-animal-nutrition//-/media/dairyaustralia/documents/farm/pasture-management/crops/millet-and-sorghum.pdf

 

[O'Reilly]

Jumbo - Bright Seeds

Can grow to well over six foot tall, with thin stems so is therefore prone to falling over in high winds. It has its uses for later drilling or for marginal growing areas.

www.brightseeds.co.uk

 

[Scholsey]

This was considered a drought year, I’d take that April may June rainfall right now!!

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I'd like to be proved wrong but I can't find and sorghum sudangrass seed in the UK.

I did wonder about that. The past two years it’s even been scarce here. We couldn’t get the variety we wanted last year. Ordered early this year.

 

[TomB]

David bright would have it. We grow a bit as game cover in a mix.

But I’m not sure how suited it would be to west wales. Worked on a farm in Queensland that grew a few 1000ac of forage sorghum. But it was a bit closer to the equator.

Sorghum – Bright Seeds

<p>Sorghum is one of the most traded crops in the world but being semi-tropical cover; very few varieties will produce seed in this country. As a rule sorghum can be grown in areas where maize can be established. Sorghum can be sprayed with some of the same chemicals as maize enabling good weed...

www.brightseeds.co.uk

 

[frederick]

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This was considered a drought year, I’d take that April may June rainfall right now!!

That just puts into perspective how serious this could be. Good grub was grown in may and june 2018 and the maize was ready to weather a drought.
However it could all change in 3 weeks time and sort itself out.
If it doesnt there wont be many chequebooks big enough to sort it.

 

[Beef farmer]

Rain this week and more next. Be fine

 

[Pilatus]

Rain this week and more next. Be fine

I think that may be wishful thinking, but I do hope I am proved wrong.

 

[O'Reilly]

I did wonder about that. The past two years it’s even been scarce here. We couldn’t get the variety we wanted last year. Ordered early this year.

Do you graze it? And at what stage, to avoid the prussic acid poisoning?

 

[glasshouse]

Sounds perfect maize ground. Get it in this week.

Cu

As above I’ve got a bit of land on the rented farm that sits next to the river, very sheltered. It’s not been touched for a while other than us topping it every year.

thinking attempting to direct drill something has to be better than just letting it go to waste and being short of forage. We were intending to plough it this autumn to reseed anyway.

so what can we bung in and hope? Preferably something that could be ensiled in some form.
Root crop?

cut it for hay

 

[Dead Rabbits]

Do you graze it? And at what stage, to avoid the prussic acid poisoning?

Yeah. Not really worried about Prussic acid. You can test it if you are worried.

Generally start grazing at 20 inches or maybe even sooner. This is to get far enough through it quicker. It grows so quickly and managing the cows and the water access without grazing regrowth is a challenge.


Once it gets ahead of us we direct chop it and stack it for dry cow/heifer feed. Yes it’s wet at 20-25% DM but it ferments correctly and it’s done in 1 pass. You can’t mess around for days trying to get it dry, it grows up through the swath.
It then regrows again.

We never fertilize it. In an ideal world I guess we would stagger plant it but it’s too complicated for us to do so.

Keep in mind we grow this because we expect ryegrass to go dormant by the end of June every year. The ryegrass will also be taken over by native c4 grasses that throw a seed head every 10-14 days. It’s impossible to prevent this or graze it in a manner to always be high quality dairy feed.

I don’t claim sorghum sudan is an excellent quality forage that is better than ryegrass or alfalfa. It’s not. But the value of having something green for the cows to graze is worth a lot. Also having something producing dry matter when cool season grasses just won’t grow has a lot of value as well.

1 acre for every 20 cows or so is plenty.