Last week’s column focused on the importance of grain sorghum to South Texas and Kleberg County. Sorghum is not the most wellknown crop; most consumers never see the crop before its processed but it really is an amazing and versatile plant.

Sorghum, a grain, forage or sugar crop, is among the most efficient crops in conversion of solar energy and use of water. Sorghum is known as a high-energy, drought-tolerant crop. Because of its wide uses and adaptation “sorghum is one of the really indispensable crops” required for the survival of humankind (From Jack Harlan, 1971).

The inherent tolerance of sorghum to marginal lands and environmental conditions, its versatility as a food and feed grain and its ability to produce high yields, ensure its important role in the lives of millions of people throughout the world.

A brief history shows it to have originated in Northeastern Africa and the earliest know record of sorghum comes from an archeological dig at Nabta Playa, near the Egyptian- Sudanese border and had been dated at 8,000 B.C. It spread throughout Africa, from the highlands of Ethiopia to the semi-arid Sahel.and and along the way adapted to a wide range of environments,

The development and spread of five different races of sorghum can, in many cases, be attributed to the movement of various tribal groups in Africa. Sorghum then spread to India and China and eventually worked its way into Australia. The first known record of sorghum in the United States comes from Ben Franklin in 1757, who wrote about its application in producing brooms.

The uses of sorghum are mainly for livestock feed and in a growing number of ethanol plants in the U.S., South America and Australia. Sorghum produces the same amount of ethanol per bushel as comparable feedstocks and uses one third less water. In the livestock market, sorghum is used in the poultry, beef and pork industries. Stems and foliage are used for green chop, hay, silage and pasture. A significant amount of U.S. sorghum is also exported to international markets where it is used for animal feed and ethanol.

Sorghum has recently appeared in food products in the U.S., because of use in gluten-free food products. Sorghum is an excellent substitute for wheat for those who cannot tolerate gluten. Sorghum is used to make both leavened and unleavened breads. In Sahelian Africa, various fermented and unfermented beverages are made from sorghum. It can be steamed or popped and is consumed as a fresh vegetable in some areas of the world. Syrup is made from sweet sorghum. Sorghum is also used for building material, fencing, floral arrangements, pet food and brooms.

For more information on conservation and programs, visit your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Kingsville at 592-0309 Ext. 3 or come by at 401 East King Avenue, Ste. 100.

Factoid: Today farmers grow twice as much food as his or her parents did – using less land, energy, water, fertilizers, pesticides and fewer emissions.