A massive cloud of dust swirls across the prairie. Visibility is near zero as local residents hear sand and dust pounding against their windows. Powerful 60 mph winds strip farmland of precious top soil, further challenging farmers who are already dealing with extreme drought.
It sounds like a scene straight from The Dust Bowl of the 1930s except this happened last year. On March 18, two massive dust storms swept across the High Plains. High winds created one dust storm in Colorado stretching into Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle, while another formed in the Texas Panhandle. The storms were so monstrous that they could be seen from space by NASA satellites.
Unfortunately, the dust storms and the damaging erosion they cause isn’t the only reason for concern for farmers on the High Plains. Researchers have discovered that the Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches across the region, has dropped about 325 billion gallons every year for at least the past four decades. Primarily used for irrigation, the aquifer is critical to the region where agriculture represents upwards of $3 billion in direct economic input annually. A study by Kansas State University says the aquifer could run dry in less than 50 years if changes aren’t made.
That’s why more and more farmers in this part of the country are moving away from water intensive crops like corn in favor of sorghum. Sorghum tolerates significant moisture stress and will resume vegetative growth after drought-induced dormancy. Sorghum has a very large and extensive root system capable of reaching soil profile depths of more than five feet. This large and efficient root system enables the sorghum plant to find water when other crops cannot.

A Water-Efficient Alternative

Matthias Hilgar doesn’t need a university study to tell him aquifer levels are dropping. He can see it for himself as he examines his fields and pumps. Hilgar grows forage for Syracuse Dairy in southwest Kansas.
“We started noticing that we weren’t able to get the same amount of water from our pumps as what we used to be able to get,” Hilgar says. “We examined our options and found that incorporating forage sorghum could provide us with decent tonnage without using nearly as much water.”
Hilgar says forage sorghum matches up well with the challenges of farming on the High Plains.
“It works really well in a drought and in places where you have limited irrigation,” Hilgar says. “The sorghum is a great alternative to corn in low water situations and in our area, you’ve got low water situations everywhere. It really hangs in there and waits for rain.
“The drought tolerance and water efficiency of the forage sorghum is big for us. We don’t have enough water to be growing full-season corn or even mid-season corn. The lower water requirements of the sorghum allow us to produce a high-quality feed without sacrificing tonnage. Plus, it’s cheaper to grow than corn silage.”
According to research from Texas A&M University, irrigated forage sorghum will yield 1.75 to 2.5 tons of biomass per inch of irrigation water, while corn produces less than 1.0 ton per inch of water applied. Because of its high water use efficiency and tolerance to prolonged periods without rain or irrigation, sorghum is ideally suited as dairy and livestock feed for producers facing water availability obstacles.
Hilgar plants about 2,500 acres of forage sorghum to supply forage for the 20,000 cows in Syracuse Dairy’s five herds.
“We grow Alta Seeds forage sorghum because it has a nice combination of nutritional and agronomic characteristics that fit the needs of the dairy,” Hilgar says. “We’ve found it can yield well with limited water. We’ve seen yields up to 20 tons per acre with AF7401 under limited irrigation. We like growing that variety because of its Brachytic dwarf genetics that provide excellent standability with little to no lodging.
“One thing that really surprised me when I first started growing AF7401 was the tillering on it. It has several tillers that branch from the main stalk and that helps to create an extremely leafy plant with nice wide leaves. We also get quite a bit of grain since it puts on a good size head,” concludes Hilgar.

Committed to Growers

While drought like conditions have unfortunately become the norm in places like the High Plains, drought can also be an issue for growers in other parts of the country. For that reason, dairies across the country have been adding sorghum to their forage plans in case they have a dry year. Planting forage sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass or sudangrass can provide forage alternatives that will still produce even in dry conditions.
“We spend a lot of time thinking about our customer base and how to serve them best,” says Steve Ligon, North American business director for Advanta. “Our forage customers are usually looking for a water-efficient and cost-efficient product that will provide high tonnage and excellent nutritional quality. Our Alta Seeds hybrids fit those needs very well. We work hard to provide solutions that can create real value and impact for our customers.”
Advanta understands the challenges associated with drought because it deals with the same issues as growers every day. Headquartered in Amarillo, Texas, Advanta has more than 50 years of producing seed deep in the heart of sorghum country.
“We are working on ways to maximize yield for farmers when water is limited,” Ligon says. “The use of the water and the efficiency of the water is critical in these situations. As we move forward, we expect water for agricultural production to become less abundant and more costly, so the need for water-efficient crops like sorghum will continue to grow.”
Next Generation Genetics
Advanta is focused on developing cutting edge solutions in sorghum seed through its premium Alta Seeds brand. Modern forage sorghum genetics have come a long way in recent years. Advanta introduced the first sorghum hybrids with the Brachytic Dwarf gene under the Alta Seeds brand. There are four dwarfing genes in sorghum which control height. These genes produce a type of dwarfism known as “Brachytic dwarfism”, which reduces the length of the internodes without affecting other agronomic plant characteristics, such as leaf number, leaf size, maturity or yield/biomass production. Brachytic Dwarf sorghums typically grow to about 6 feet tall and produce comparable tonnage to taller hybrids by producing more leaves and more tillers. Sorghums with this trait have very high leaf to stalk ratios, prolific tillering, superior standability, and comparable tonnage to normal height sorghums.
“The Brachytic Dwarf trait combined with BMR was a huge development,” says Ben Beyer Ph.D., Advanta sorghum breeder. “Brachytic BMR hybrids solved the issue of lodging due to reduced lignin content. By combining the standability of the Brachytic Dwarf gene with the high nutritional value of BMR-6 genetics, we are able to provide dairymen with a forage that is very competitive with corn in the field and in the feed bunk.”
Advanta is leading the next wave of breakthroughs in the forage sorghum market to provide growers with the products they need to succeed. The first and only hybrid with the Brachytic Dwarf, BMR-6 and Drystalk traits was a recent addition to the Alta Seeds line-up.
The dry stalk characteristic reduces crop moisture in sorghum and sudangrass. Forage sorghum hybrids with this trait allow growers to ensile the harvested crop at reduced moisture levels with less opportunity for spoilage. When harvested at the soft dough stage, forage sorghums with the dry stalk characteristic have approximately 64 percent to 69 percent moisture content.
“We’re always looking for new ways we can bring efficiency and productivity to customers,” Beyer says. “Our breeding program is growing and we’re committed to developing useful advancements that provide meaningful results on the farm. Currently, these efforts include research and breeding for drought tolerance, cold tolerance, herbicide tolerance and enhanced water-use efficiency for both forage sorghum and grain sorghum.”

Sorghum Makes Sense

Donald Collins of Bakersfield, Calif. says the benefits of Brachytic BMR-6 forage sorghum are easy to see. He raises about 3,000 acres of sorghum annually for dairies in the surrounding area.
“The sorghum we choose has the BMR trait and the Brachytic Dwarf trait,” Collins says. “The BMR hybrids are much more digestible and more palatable to the cows than standard sorghum hybrids. Since we’ve got the BMR variety we are very comparable and competitive with corn in feed values.”
“The sorghum is about $300 an acre cheaper to grow and we’ve been able to get yields into the high 20s, 27 to 28 ton of sorghum,” Collins says. “That type of yield is equivalent to a good crop of corn here. So you can get about the same tonnage if not equal tonnage, reduce your growing costs and come pretty close to corn in feed value.”
Dan Kullot, the staff veterinarian at Syracuse Dairy, agrees that forage quality is a primary concern when it comes to maintaining herd health. He works with Hilgar to make sure the cows are getting a high-quality, highly-digestible forage to maximize milk production. The BMR-6 genetics of Alta Seeds forage sorghums fit the nutritional profile Kullot needs for his cows.
“I look at a feeding operation like an orchestra,” Kullot says. “Every orchestra has its sections that make up the ensemble. You have the woodwinds, percussion, brass and strings. I see forage sorghum as a vital part of our feeding operation in the same way that a maestro would view his various instruments in an orchestra. When we look at the nutritional analyses of the BMR-6 sorghum, we see it as an important part of our feeding strategy.”
Kullot says from the dairy’s perspective, there is a lot of excitement about forage sorghum and the new genetics that are being developed by Advanta.
“We see the value and opportunity forage sorghum presents since we can grow it cheaper and with less water than corn,” Kullot says. “The AF7401 hybrid from Alta Seeds with the Brachytic BMR-6 genetics is a high-quality product providing excellent digestibility and palatability. When you consider the weather and water challenges we face, I see forage sorghum becoming a more vital component of our feeding operation and our rations going forward in the future.”
Collins shares Kullot’s outlook regarding the importance of sorghum in dairy operations.
“I really think that if you look very hard you’re going to find a place for sorghum in your operation,” Collins says. “Whether you are looking at it from soil, water, production costs or from another angle, there’s definitely a place for it in a feed ration. That’s true for it on the farm side of the business, too. It’s a crop you have to manage, but when you do the results are pretty spectacular. The cows do really well on it and it gives you flexibility when it comes to water.”