Grain Sorghum History

Sorghum is a member of the grass family and a native wild plant of Africa. The first grain sorghum seeds may have been brought into the United States during the 1800's on slave ships. It is believed that Benjamin Franklin introduced the first grain sorghum crop into the United States.

Varieties of sorghums are classified into 4 groups: grain sorghums, grass sorghums, sweet sorghums, and broom corn. Broom corn is grown for the branches of the seed cluster, which are used to make brooms. Sweet sorghums have sweet juicy stems and are grown to be made into sorghum syrup. The syrup is made by pressing the juice out of the stems and boiling it down to the proper thickness. Sweet sorghums can also be made into animal feed or silage. Grass sorghums are grown for green feed and hay but can also be weeds. Two types of grass sorghums that grow in Kansas are Sudan grass, an annual grown for feed and hay, and Johnsongrass, a perennial weed.

Grain sorghums are grown for the grain - round, starchy seeds that can be ground or mixed into animal feeds. Sometimes, the entire grain sorghum plant is made into silage. Grain sorghum is often used to replace corn in animal feed. The grain is higher in protein and lower in fat content than corn but does not contain carotene. In the United States, grain sorghum is a major feed ingredient for both cattle and poultry. Livestock feeding uses more than 95% of the grain sorghum used in the United States.

Sorghum grows best in warm conditions and can grow well in places with low moisture and high temperatures. The United States is the world's largest grain sorghum producer.

The state of Kansas ranks first in both the production of grain sorghum and sorghum silage, growing over 40% of the grain sorghum produced in the United States. Other major grain sorghum producing states are Texas and Nebraska. Worldwide, Nigeria, India, and Mexico are leading producers of grain sorghum.

The grain sorghum grown in Kansas is often called milo and the terms "grain sorghum" and "milo" are both used to describe the same crop.