Food Plot Species Profile: Grain Sorghum

Below is an excerpt from an article posted on QDMA.com
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"While this crop is planted during the warm months of spring and summer, it actually can provide a food source for deer during the fall and winter. The nice thing about sorghum is deer do not usually eat the plant while it is in the early development stage. The only time I’ve seen deer eat sorghum before it produced seed heads was when it was planted too early before much natural food was available in the woods. Another benefit of sorghum is that, in my opinion, it is much easier to successfully grow than corn and is more drought resistant. Anyone who has grown corn knows that it doesn’t tolerate drought, particularly during the late ear formation stage. Sorghum, on the other hand, has the ability to withstand dry periods much better but still manages to put out a seed head even under diverse conditions. Sorghum is also a highly attractive and digestible source of nutrition for deer that provides a source of carbohydrates during the winter months and can be a great alternative to planting corn in areas where natural, cool-season vegetation is scarce. Consumption of carbohydrates is even more important in the northern climates where temperatures can get extremely cold. In the Deep South, where late-summer can be a nutritional stress period for deer, deer often consume sorghum seed heads as soon as they are mature in August or September. This fills a nutritional need, but if you want sorghum to remain available until later in fall, adjust your planting date accordingly based on the maturation rate of the variety you are planting (it ranges from 60 to over 100 days) while allowing time for maturity before first frost.

Sorghum grows best on fertile, sandy- loam soils but can tolerate a wide range of soil types. My food plots consist of loamy Georgia red clay, and I’ve had no trouble getting sorghum to grow on it. Soil testing will help assure you have the right fertility and pH conditions prior to planting. Sorghum does best when the pH is between 6.0 and 6.8. If lime is necessary to raise the pH, it’s best to do it the fall before planting the crop. This allows more time for the lime to help neutralize the acidity of the soil."

Big thanks to the folks at QDMA for all the good work they do and for allowing us to share the informative article.