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BMR sorghums beef up production

Brown Midrib (BMR) 6 grain sorghum varieties are helping beef producers hold the line on production costs while maintaining the feed value they expect from grain-based silage.

In feed-quality trials conducted earlier this decade, researchers at Texas A&M University found that replacing corn silage with sorghum silage did not lower the rate of gain or the feed efficiency of cattle. Sorghums with lower lignin content, such as BMR 6, have digestibility and palatability characteristics similar to corn.

The study also documented the reduced production costs of sorghum when compared with corn:

Comparable yields
Reduced water requirements
Lower fuel costs
Equal nutritional quality

The advantages of forage sorghums for beef producers are:

improved animal health due to lower starch levels,
improved rumen scratch, and
lower production costs compared to corn silage.

BMR 6 hybrids from Advanta are helping beef producers reach their nutritional goals while reducing the production cost of silage.