California Sorghum Silage: Nutrient Composition and Fermentation Characteristics

Adapted by Jennifer Heguy - Dairy Advisor, J.P. Martins - Dairy Advisor, and Deanne Meyer, Livestock Waste Management Specialist

Sorghum is a summer forage option when water is short. In our ongoing project to obtain information on sorghum as a forage, silages from the 2016 harvest were sampled at feedout. Piles and bags were sampled from the exposed face, avoiding the ends.

Dairy profiles:

• Dairy size ranged from 320 to 5,550 milkingcows.
• Farmed sorghum ranged from 42 to 574 acres.
• Sorghum type was forage (11 structures) and grain (5 structures).
• Sorghum was stored in either one of 12 piles or 4 bags; piles and bags were stored on dirt (50%) or concrete/gravel (50%)
• Inoculant use was reported in 4
• All dairies utilized custom harvester services.
• Days ensiled at sampling ranged from 99 to 439 (median = 225 days).

Nutrient composition of sorghum samples are in Table 1. Fermentation characteristics are in Table 2.

Interpreting the numbers:

• There were no differences in nutrient composition or fermentation characteristics between grain and BMR type sorghum. Combined information is
• Presence of sugarcane aphid-infested material had no effect on nutrient composition or fermentation
• In this data set, sorghum displayed lower levels of starch and Non-Fiber Carbohydrates (NFC) with higher fiber and ash content compared to typical California corn

The take-home:

Sorghum quality was variable. Opportunities exist to improve California sorghum silage quality and management, as it may replace corn as an agronomic crop in years of water shortages.

Table 1. Nutrient composition of California sorghum silage (n=16)

Table 2. Fermentation characteristics of California sorghum silage (n=16)

Link to PDF Version: California Sorghum Silage- Nutrient Composition and Fermentation Characteristics