![]() ![]() ![]() Oklahoma is one of the top seven states where grain sorghum is produced.Starch from waxy sorghums is used in adhesives and for sizing paper and fabrics, and is an ingredient in oil drilling "mud.".Sorghum starch is manufactured in the US by a wet-milling process similar to that used for corn starch, then made into dextrose for use in foods.Dye extracted from sorghum is used in West Africa to color leather red. The plant bases are an important source of fuel for cooking and the stems of wild varieties are used to make baskets or fish traps. In Africa, the straw of traditional tall sorghums is used to make palisades in villages or around a homestead.Consequently, it is grown primarily in arid areas where corn wouldn't make it without substantial irrigation. Unlike corn, however, sorghum's yield under different conditions is not so varied. Like corn, sorghum can be grown under a wide range of soil and climatic conditions.Many taller-stemmed varieties are grown in other countries. Nearly all varieties grown in the United States are dwarf types, with stems under 5 feet in height and suitable for harvesting with combines. Grain sorghum plants are coarse annual grasses.Eighty percent of the area devoted to sorghum is located within Africa and Asia.Sorghum ranks fifth among the most important cereal crops of the world, after wheat, rice, maize, and barley in both total area planted and production.It is believed that Benjamin Franklin introduced the first grain sorghum crop to the United States.At that time it was known as "Guinea corn." The first sorghum seeds may have been brought into the United States during the late 1700's on slave ships.Mexico has large areas of dry farmland, and sorghum requires less water than maize and wheat. The crop has gained prominence in Mexico over the past half-century, and the number of hectares of sorghum planted in the country grew over 1,000 percent from 1958 to 1980. Sorghum has now become an important crop in Latin America as well.It is one of the longest-cultivated plants of warm regions in Africa and Asia–especially in India and China. From Egypt, sorghum spread throughout Africa and into India.Africa now produces 20 million tons of sorghum per year, a third of the world total. Sorghum originated in Egypt 4,000 years ago and today is Africa's second most important cereal.It can be cooked like rice, made into porridge, malted for beer, baked into flatbreads and popped like popcorn. Sorghum is ground, cracked, steam flaked, and/or roasted.Sorghum has a very hard kernel, which makes it resistant to disease and damage but harder to digest for animals.Its fat content is lower than corn but higher than wheat. Its protein content is higher than corn and about equal to wheat. In Oklahoma and throughout the US, sorghum is a principal feed ingredient for both cattle and poultry. ![]() Grain sorghum grows well in Oklahoma because it doesn't require a lot of water and can survive long, hot summers.Grain sorghum is also called "milo" and is a major feed grain for cattle.Grain sorghum is shorter and has been bred for higher grain yields. Sorghum is a coarse, upright growing grass that is used for both grain and forage production.Oklahoma Pork Council Grant application. ![]()
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