Yield potential and economics of grain sorghum must be compared to corn to determine whether or not grain sorghum offers an advantage. On very droughty soils, or if subsoil moisture is very low, grain sorghum may out yield corn.
This occurred at the Hancock Research Station in and Table 2. This assumes. When expected corn yields are less than bushels per acre, and the reason for the low yields is moisture stress, grain sorghum may equal or exceed corn grain yields.
However, if corn yields greater than 75 bushels per acre are anticipated, grain sorghum is unlikely to be competitive. The cost of grain sorghum production is about the same as for similar grain-yield production levels for corn. Therefore decisions to grow grain sorghum depend primarily on relative yield potential compared to corn, and the ability to obtain markets. Since market outlets for grain sorghum are not established in most areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin, local elevators will probably not buy it.
On-farm utilization as feed is the most likely alternative available to most growers. Robinson, R. Nelson, J. Ford, and D. Drought and Grain Sorghum. Report , Minnesota Agr. Oplinger, E. Grain Sorghum Production in Wisconsin. Field Crops 24A. Agronomy mimeo. Oelke, E. Grain Sorghum in Minnesota. Crop News No. Varietal Trials of Farm Crops. Minnesota Report 24, Minn. Station, p. Grain Sorghum Performance Tests. Iowa State Univ. AG Vanderlip, R. How a Sorghum Plant Develops.
Kansas State Univ. Taylor, R. Grain Sorghum: A Manual for Production and marketing. Extension Bulletin , Delaware Cooperative Extension.
Grain Sorghum Production Handbook. References to pesticide products in this publication are for your convenience and are not an endorsement of one product over other similar products. You are responsible for using pesticides according to the manufacturer's current label directions.
Follow directions exactly to protect the environment and people from pesticide exposure. Narrow row spacing helps to discourage lodging due to adjacent plants supporting broken stalks. Consequently, a inch row is usually easier to harvest than a inch row. Combine header losses are usually less at a speed of 2. In this case, you might want to take a partial swath to prevent overloading and still maintain field speed.
Set combine reel bat speed 15 to 25 percent faster than ground speed to minimize losses. Set the reel height high enough to avoid catching under and throwing the grain heads on the ground.
You may need wide reel bats if plant height varies greatly. Set your combine cylinder and concave to separate the seed from the head without over-threshing. The cylinder speed for sorghum should be less than that for wheat. Some combine manufacturers recommend removing concave bars. Clearance for rotors in rotary combines is usually greater. See your combine instruction manual for details about adjustments.
Grain sorghum stalks contain more moisture and are smaller than most corn stalks. As a result, grain sorghum stalks are more likely to be chopped up and carried to the grain tank. Pieces of stalk returned to the cylinder in the tailings will be further ground into fines. The chaffer extension can be closed to prevent this material from entering the tailings conveyor.
Sorghum stems often catch and choke the straw walkers, which may cause inconvenience and lost time. Some manufacturers make straw walker covers with smaller holes that stop stems while allowing the grain to drop through. Inspect sieves often during operation to check for matting or clogging. Be extremely cautious when holding high-moisture grain sorghum ahead of the dryer.
Remove all high-moisture grain before refilling. Since high-moisture sorghum packs tighter than high-moisture corn, air circulation is inhibited and heating problems may result. These conditions may cause heat, molding and sprouting. However, if the temperature does not drop, little benefit will result other than a slight amount of evaporative cooling.
Sorghum has more trash mixed in the grain after combining than any other common crop. Also, the addition of Aim herbicide with glyphosate can aid in the control of morningglory and other tough-to-control weeds. Click here for a full discussion on the use of a harvest aid.
Once harvest begins, growers should cut just below the heads to avoid unnecessary intake of leaves and stalk material, which decreases harvesting efficiency. Grain sorghum can be harvested with a grain header platform or rigid cutterbar , flex header, row crop header or draper header.
When using a grain header, guard extensions attached to every other guard will reduce gathering losses in standing sorghum. Other attachments are available that can help with lodged sorghum if needed. These kits have worked well, and growers are using them in increasing numbers in the sorghum belt. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Como puedes matar un loro? Above: Dad driving the combine.
Above: Me driving the grain cart. Above: An wheeler used to haul our grain. Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email. Like this: Like Loading Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:.
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