Hi. Great content. I grew sorghum in community garden. Wow! The aphids showed up during the high and dry summer. Then the lady bugs followed. Hundreds and hundreds, their pupae and larvae. I put up a little sign " lady bugs nursery". The sorghum was 8-10'. Remember folks, ladybugs won't stay if there's nothing to eat. The sorghum and their pests kept the rest of the garden protected. The seed heads fed many birds.🌱

@DowdleFamilyFarms

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

Just found your channel and subbed up because your talking good info from a farmers perspective. Reminds me of Gabe Brown in North Dakota keep it coming.

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for the sub and the feedback.

Watch the greenbridge of insects over wintering.... depending on where youre located, i also use sudan grass your correct aboit it, im just finding 10 + yrz of cover cropping ive got to rotate to no cover crop aboit every 3-4 seasons to cut the "greenbridgr" of insects or any soil based pathogens

@DowdleFamilyFarms

10 ай бұрын

Interesting about the greenbridge of insects. I’m not sure how relevant it is to my setting since we are pasture based and are growing continual cover crops and grazing them. However, I may be wildly naive about the potential problem. Our state research center suggest planting grass cover crops in soybean cash crop fields and legumes and brassicas in grass cash crop fields to reduce the potential. I see many more grasshoppers on our cover crop fields with Sorghum Sudangrass than anything else. One thing that I wonder about is that the study was funded by the soybean board. I wonder what specific cover crops help with soil and above ground pests and how that relates to the greenbdridge. The soybean board funded research was focused on other research questions. Anyway, we will see how it goes.

We grew some last yr. It was mixed in a pasture I bought & planted 2 yrs prior. But didn't sprout until after I tilled up the area (which was a build up of hay & animal waste) to plant a garden. It was neat to see how tall it got. My critters loved it.

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

That’s pretty interesting.

@AlleyCat-1

9 ай бұрын

@@DowdleFamilyFarms yeah I thought so too. When it started growing, I thought it was my corn, then thought it was a wild variety until I started researching & learned what it was. I look forward to planting more of it later on.

We been baling it for dry hay for a couple years now. Been happy with it. Also use it for grazing

@DowdleFamilyFarms

2 ай бұрын

How do you dry it?

@4MRanch

2 ай бұрын

@@DowdleFamilyFarms I mow it with a conditioner with rubber rollers and it cracks the stem. Let it set for about 4 days or so. kzread.infoEwPUJg8zmDc?si=FUDqJ4KmG-UsdzOr

@DowdleFamilyFarms

2 ай бұрын

@4MRanch great. Thanks. I’ll check out the video. I’m not a hay person at all!

Very soon hemp will take all the farmlands again when the new 18% protein strain is available for feed.

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

🤔 I’m not familiar with this. But is suspect that many won’t grow it due to it being new and unfamiliar. Can you tell me more about it?

@newbongsmell9896

3 ай бұрын

Yes I'd like to know more about the 18% protein hemp also

Im subbing

@DowdleFamilyFarms

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! I appreciate it.

Where d’ya get seed?

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

I’ve gotten seed from several different places, including petcher seeds. However, typically I get seed from my local farm co-op.

@JesusisGodsaviour

9 ай бұрын

​@@DowdleFamilyFarmswhy your answer like a chat gpt answer lol😂

@JesusisGodsaviour

9 ай бұрын

​@@DowdleFamilyFarmsIM just kidding man take it easy i hope your farm Will be good

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

@@JesusisGodsaviour lol. Thanks bud

@Phyto-Dragon-nb6it

5 ай бұрын

Supra Ag International. Google em. Ours will get you 25 t/acre or higher. Tillers like a beast with stalks up to 14' or more. Fantastic forage, silage. Requires 60% the water of a dent corn crop, and way less nitrogen.

You are awesome. I love this plant, isnt it also decent feed for goats, chickens, or cows?

@DowdleFamilyFarms

10 ай бұрын

Sheep and goats will graze it as do cows. Our pigs will graze it too, but as monogastrics they prefer the buckwheat and cowpeas.

Hi. Could sorghum be used as a green material for a hot compost pile? Can't find any info on it. Mixed with fall leaves or other brown stuff I'm sure it would make great compost.

@DowdleFamilyFarms

7 ай бұрын

Yes you can! Though it has a higher carbon to nitrogen ration than most legumes. Especially when it’s really tall and stemy.

@Outlander929

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the reply and good to know! I've never heard anyone mention it when listing composting materials and was curious. All the best.

Have you done any nitrogen testing before and after?

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

No. I’d be curious about that. But I haven’t done it.

I hope I ever find a wife that loves me as much as you love sorghum sudan grass 😂

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

😂 you’d be lucky if you do.

Thought it was corn

@DowdleFamilyFarms

9 ай бұрын

I get a lot of phone calls saying cows are in my corn fields!