The smartest silage on the planet

As water grows scarcer and feed costs climb higher, dairy producers are turning their attention to an old crop with new potential. Sorghum, once seen as a secondary silage source, is moving to the forefront of forage innovation. In “Profit‑Focused Feeding: Sorghum’s Value in Dairy Nutrition,” a recent webinar sponsored by the sorghum checkoff, experts from Texas A&M, the University of Nebraska and the dairy industry detailed how modern hybrids, smarter processing and better planning are pushing sorghum into the silage spotlight. When managed wisely, forage sorghum can rival corn in performance while cutting costs and conserving precious water. Dr. Brent Bean, agronomist for the sorghum checkoff, stressed the importance of matching variety and management to the environment. Early to medium maturity hybrids deliver more efficient water use than long-season types. Those full-season hybrids might yield like corn, he noted, but they drink like it too. Early hybrids may give up a little tonnage but return the favor in water savings, making them the better bet for limited irrigation. That theme of efficiency echoed throughout the conversation. “If you’re really limited on water,” Bean explained, “then I would choose an early to medium or maybe a medium maturity hybrid.” It’s a simple tradeoff: less water, slightly less volume, but more sustainable production. Sustainability, however, does not mean sacrifice. For nutritionists like Steve Ensley, the advantages extend beyond the field and into the feed bunk. Sorghum’s lower input costs, seed, fertilizer and water translate into meaningful ration savings once nutrient value and yield are balanced. The key, Ensley said, lies in processing and planning. Sorghum silage starts cheaper per ton than corn, but its upside expands when conditions favor growth. Sorghum’s phenotypic flexibility allows it to respond dramatically to good rain years. Where corn tends to plateau, sorghum can push upward with extra cuttings and richer nutrition. “Every time you get more yield it just makes it cheaper,” Ensley said. The result is a crop that can adapt economically as well as agronomically. Processing remains the pivotal piece of the puzzle. The arrival of new berry processors, designed to crush sorghum’s harder seeds much like corn kernel processors, has opened the door to improved starch availability. With better processing, cows can access the energy locked inside those dense berries, closing the nutritional gap between sorghum and corn silage. Ensley urged producers to make processing part of their initial plan, not an afterthought. A high-starch sorghum variety must be paired with a commitment to process it correctly, he warned, otherwise much of that value stays trapped inside the seed. “That would be a significant mistake,” he cautioned. Choosing the right hybrid is only half the equation; the other half is ensuring that the harvest crew has the equipment and expertise to do the job. Dairy producer and consultant Macy Hays noted that the relationship between dairies and custom harvesters is shifting fast. Where berry processing was once a bonus, it’s now a baseline. Some dairies, she said, are even switching contractors to ensure processing capability. For them, the cost savings of feeding sorghum outweigh any added time or expense at harvest. Hays framed sorghum not as an alternative crop but as an essential solution for water-stressed regions. As irrigation challenges grow and precipitation patterns falter, she said, sorghum’s resilience makes it the practical path forward. Its sustainability is not just environmental but economic, cushioning dairies from rising input costs and erratic rainfall. Still, transitioning from corn to sorghum demands coordination. Ensley pointed out that corn growers spend hours choosing hybrids for slight gains, yet the hybrid-to-hybrid differences in sorghum can be far greater. Variety selection matters enormously, as does harvest timing. Many producers know the visual cues for corn harvest – milk lines, plant moisture and stalk texture – but lack that same instinct with sorghum. Developing that intuition, he suggested, will take cooperation between growers, nutritionists and harvest crews. As for incentives, the panelists agreed that traditional “bonus programs” may soon become obsolete. Instead, the market itself is pushing for alignment. When feed savings and sustainability benefits are already built into the system, the motivation to adopt best practices comes naturally. Hays predicted that as sorghum’s role in rations expands, berry processing and hybrid selection will simply become part of doing business. The discussion also tackled lingering concerns about anti-nutritional factors. Bean noted that modern forage sorghums present few problems, provided they’re grown and ensiled under reasonable conditions. Nitrate accumulation is the main issue to monitor. Over-fertilization or drought stress can raise nitrate levels, but careful nitrogen management and standard ensiling practices typically mitigate that risk. In most cases, nitrate levels drop by about half during ensiling. Ensley said unusually high protein readings, around 15% or 16%, should prompt a nitrate test, just to confirm that the spike isn’t stress-related. Weeds can also contribute to nitrate issues, so field management remains essential. Prussic acid concerns, however, are minimal for silage. While sorghum still lacks the quick, in-field processing checks that corn enjoys, the industry is moving fast to close that gap. Researchers are working on lab-based berry processing scores to measure how well processors are performing and how berry hardness, size and maturity influence starch release. For now, sending samples to labs remains the most reliable method, but field-friendly tests are on the horizon. Ultimately, the conversation circled back to a question many dairymen are asking: Can sorghum silage truly replace corn silage in the ration? Ensley didn’t hesitate. If starch availability is understood and managed through modeling, shaker box testing and fecal starch checks, then the answer is yes. Cows don’t care whether nutrients come from corn or sorghum – they care about balance and digestibility. Transitioning from corn silage to sorghum doesn’t have to be abrupt. Ensley suggested blending the two crops in rations or rotating between them to build familiarity and confidence. The goal isn’t to dethrone corn overnight but to integrate sorghum strategically where it makes sense. The panelists closed with optimism – and urgency. Sorghum’s moment, they agreed, isn’t somewhere in the future, it’s already here. The tools, hybrids and processing technology now available give producers what they need to make the switch successfully. What remains is experience, experimentation and trust in the data. As periods of drought become more common and irrigation wells run lower each season, sorghum’s strengths grow more obvious. The crop that once played second fiddle is proving it can lead the band. By aligning agronomy, nutrition and technology, producers can craft a feed strategy that saves water, trims costs and sustains milk production without missing a beat. Sorghum’s success story is not about replacing corn but redefining resilience. For dairies determined to keep producing in drier decades ahead, it might just be the smartest silage on the planet. by Enrico Villamaino Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org