Grain sorghum acreage is on the rise across the Upper Southeast, primarily due to the demand and good prices paid for it by Murphy-Brown, and in Virginia the combined efforts of research and industry appear to be paying off in increased interest and acreage in the crop this year.
Virginia Tech Researcher Maria Balota has been promoting the benefits of grain sorghum for the past few years.
Though many growers are interested in the crop now, in the early going, she says, many thought she was a little crazy for showing so much interest in grain sorghum.
Balota is coordinator for the Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation program in Virginia. Her initial interest in grain sorghum grew from a desire to find more crop rotation options for the state’s peanut growers.
Balota says, “In 2009, we had a drought in the peanut producing areas of Virginia — not a terrible one as droughts go, but it was amazing to me how bad the drought affected corn production in our state. After seeing that happen, I felt we needed an alternative grass crop, other than corn, to grow in rotation with peanuts.”
Read More:Grain sorghum finding place in Virginia crop rotations | Grains content from Southeast Farm Press.