FORAGE SORGHUMS

Forage sorghums are mainly used for grazing but more improtantly forsilage. These surghums when used for silage have an advantage over maize fo producing a large bulk ofhigh quality hay and with optimum husbandry can be cut several times in a season.

SUDAN GRASS

This is a quick growing annual with a small stem and thin leaves. Is very palatable with relatively low production potential. It is useful as cheap short term dry weather feed.

COLUMBUS GRASS

This is a slow growing short-lived biennial crop with bigger leaves, which with optimum husbandry practices can be cut for two consecutive years without reduction in palatability.

VELVET SORGHUM

This is a large, broad-leafed plant which is slower growing and more persistent than Columbus Grass. It is less productive that other sorghums (on a rapid rotational grazing system) but will produce large quantities of dry matter over a long period.

PLEASE NOTE:

When grazing sorghums the danger of prussic acid poising must be watched. All sorghum have high levels of a complex substance which yields prussic-acid, the levels of which depend on the growth stage and climatic factors affecting the plants. The plants are dangerous at the early growth stage when either frost or drought have caused wilting, so the following precautions should be observed:-

• Never graze wilted crops.
• Only graze after the sorghum has grown 50 cm, or more.
• Do not graze with very hungry animals.
• If your stock are not used to sorghum, only allow them a small amount per day to begin with, steadily increasingly the allowance daily.
• Graze the crops off in the shortest possible time with the maximum head of stock so that new tillers will not appear while the heard are still in the field.
• IN the dry weather do not graze the crop in the middle of the day when wilting is likely.