Warm Season Forages

SORGHUM-SUDANGRASS

A hybrid cross between forage sorghum and sudangrass; intermediate in size and yield. Fast-growing, highly productive, warm-season, annual grass bred to maximize summer forage. Most hybrids without the dwarfing trait can grow 8' tall if left uncut. Protein can reach 14% but the forage has less energy than corn silage, because it lacks grain. Best Use: Best suited for grazing, green chop, baleage, or silage. Adaptation: Good soils, but is drought tolerant. Likes hot weather. All hybrids we sell are resistant to downy mildew and anthracnose. Management: Usually harvested 45-55 days after seeding or when 40 inches tall, whichever comes first. Cut 6” above ground for best regrowth. Larger stems make drying for hay more difficult than with sudangrass. High planting rates produce finer stems which dry better with increased quality. Manage risk for prussic acid and nitrate concentrations during drought or following frost. As harvest is delayed, protein and digestibility will decrease, while yield, energy and fiber will increase. If planning to cut only once, select a hybrid with delayed maturity or photoperiod sensitivity. Planting Date: Late-May – early July (soil temps 62°F+) Seeding: 20-40 lbs/acre drilled, 25- 45 lbs/acre broadcast. Use high end of the rate for finer stems and faster drydown. Plant ¾”-1½” deep.

VIKING 100 BRAND*

• Non-BMR; lower digestibility than BMR • Thin-stemmed type, highly palatable hybrid • Early maturing; multi-cut (50-55 days to boot) • Good choice for dry cow feed, early winter stockpile grazing and cover cropping

Available as: Conventional Untreated

VIKING 150 BRAND*

• Non-BMR; lower digestibility than BMR • Heads about 20 days later than Viking100, widening the window for high-quality, vegetative harvest • Ideal for very high yield, single-cut harvest, saving time and trips across the field • Higher protein/digestibility than other conventional, non-BMR sorghum-sudangrass • Good choice for dry cow feed and early winter stockpile grazing

Available as: Conventional Untreated

VIKING 200 BMR BRAND*

• BMR (Gene 6) and dry stalk trait: speeds dry time • Early maturing; multi-cut (40-50 days to boot) • Sweet stalk for high palatability • Tillers profusely; fine stalks (ideal for hay)

Available as: Conventional Untreated

* Variety Not Stated (VNS)

VIKING 232 BMR BRACHYTIC DWARF*

• BMR (Gene 6), dry stalk, medium maturity • Dwarfing gene improves quality and standability • Shortened internode length; very high leaf-to-stem ratio • Shorter than other hybrids but produces equal tonnage in a 2-cut system, with up to 50% more leaves • High sugar content improves palatability and feed intake • Superior regrowth for quicker harvests • First cut in 40-50 days (boot or preboot)

Available as: Conventional Untreated

VIKING 300 BMR BRAND*

• Photo-period sensitive; BMR (Gene 6) • Long photoperiod prevents heading out until late Sept. in northern U.S. • Allows for a longer grazing period or later, single–cut silage harvest • Retains nutritional quality for a wide window of harvest • Can postpone silage harvest up to 50”- 80”, wilt before ensiling • Can produce 7-10 tons DM/acre • Cut in 65-85 days; on earlier end of this range for two-cut system

Available as: Conventional Untreated

BMR-TYPE SORGHUM-SUDANGRASS

Brown Mid-Rib (BMR)-type warm season annual grass forages contain a BMR gene (from conventional breeding techniques) that limits production of an enzyme needed for lignin formation as plants grow. BMR 6 and BMR 12 genes disrupt different enzymes in the lignin-forming process. With either gene, less lignin forms, resulting in higher digestibility of the forage and greater animal intake. The visually-evident brown midrib is a useful indicator of the trait.

ORGANIC VIKING O-210 BMR* ORG. BLUE RIVER GRAYHAWK 6

• BMR (Gene 6) and juicy stalk trait • Early-maturing; usually ready in 40-55 days • Reaches boot stage in about 60 days • Widely adapted, great drought tolerance • Excellent early-season growth and recovery following harvest • Plant no deeper than 1” (smaller seeded than other varieties) • Avoid planting on soils with pH above 7.58.0 to avoid chlorosis

Available as: Organic

ORGANIC VIKING O-225 BMR*

• BMR (Gene 12) and juicy stalk trait • Harvest window wider before first cutting (between 40 and 90 days) • Good candidate for single-cut system • Excellent standability, tillering, regrowth, and recovery following harvest • Excellent drought resistance • Great choice for managed grazing

Available as: Organic

ORGANIC BLUE RIVER BLACKHAWK 12 BMR

• BMR (Gene 12) • Primary use is pasture, green chop, or silage; can be used for hay in appropriate drying climates • Multi-cut; excellent regrowth palatability • Early-maturing with great standability • Resistant to downy mildew and anthracnose

Available as: Organic

SUDANGRASS

An annual grass with finer stems and higher quality compared to sorghum-sudangrass hybrids & forage sorghums. Sudangrass is coarser than Japanese millet and grows 4’ to 7’ tall. Best Uses: Hay, grazing, green chop, silage, or baleage. Use multi-cut system or managed grazing for best quality. Adaptation: Likes hot weather. Management: Harvest 6” above ground for best regrowth. When harvested early (30”), sudangrass contains high levels of energy and protein. Quality and energy significantly reduced after heading. Manage potential for prussic acid and nitrate build-up. Planting Date: Late May - early July (soil at 62°F+) Seeding: Drill 20-30 lbs/acre ½-¾" deep or Broadcast 25-35 lbs/acre. (Higher seeding rates result in finer stems for improved hay drydown.)

PIPER SUDANGRASS

• Long-established and proven variety • Non-BMR • Ready to harvest in 45 days

Available as: Conventional Untreated

510 BMR SUDANGRASS*

• Brown midrib BMR (gene 6) • Much higher yield and forage quality compared to Piper sudangrass • Ready to harvest in 45 to 55 days • Reaches boot stage in about 60 days • Improved overall disease resistance • Very heat and drought stress tolerant • Available as Viking 0-510 and Blue River

Pheasant 6 (identical genetics)

Available as: Organic Conventional Untreated

GRAIN SORGHUMS

Best Use: Human food market, livestock feed, food source and bedding habitat for wildlife. Adaptation: Cool temperatures limit feed grain production for livestock in the Upper Midwest. Prefers slightly warmer temps than corn. Management: Requires nitrogen fertility (up to 150 lbs N per year). Manage potential for prussic acid & nitrate build-up. Planting Date: Late May to early July (soil at 62°F+) Seeding: Drill 5-15 lbs/acre ½” to 1½” deep. Use high end of rate for broadcasting.

OPEN POLLINATED*

• Varying height, later maturing • Economical option for wildlife food plot

Available as: Conventional Untreated

HYBRID GRAIN SORGHUM*

• Improved choice for yield and forage • Better stand, improved vigor, and higher grain production compared to open pollinated • White-seeded, 4' tall • Early maturing (90 days) • Not rouged; has some red seed in it

Available as: Conventional Untreated

WGF (WILDER GAME FOOD)

• Short (26” to 30”) and early maturing with large seed head • Ideal for pheasant hunting plots • For plant “screen,” use a taller, sorghumsudangrass or mix SxS with WGF for feed and privacy

Available as: Conventional Untreated

NEW 10-60TW BRAND GRAIN SORGHUM*

• Early Maturity; 58-62 days to mid-bloom • Broad range of adaptability; can move from the southern US and north to South

Dakota and across central Minnesota and

Wisconsin, and can move from the east to west across the US • Potential double crop in southern US • Excellent sugar cane aphid and anthracnose resistance; adaptable to the southeast US • Premium food grade hybrid with best-inclass yield from a dedicated food grade breeding program • Won the 2022 National Sorghum

Producers Yield Contest – 156 bushels in

Appanoose, Iowa Food Grade Class • Versatile end-use potential to serve the human consumption market • This is a licensed product. It requires that the farmer report to us all food-grade grain sales

Available as: Conventional Untreated

NEW 20-52R BRAND GRAIN SORGHUM*

• Ultra early grain sorghum; 50-52 days to mid-boom • Red grain color • Highly adaptable in northern regions, and is a great fit for a double crop system, or dryland production • With irrigation or good rainfall, flexes up and has excellent yield potential for an ultra-early hybrid • Excellent disease resistance

Available as: Conventional Untreated

FORAGE SORGHUMS

BMR MALE-STERILE FORAGE SORGHUM

• Medium maturity, sterile, hybrid forage sorghums with the BMR 6 trait • 7 to 8 feet tall with stalks and leaves similar in size to corn; will head out but not produce seed • Sweet sorgo type that can reach 18- 21% soluble sugar content at early heading stage • Yields from 18-25 tons at 65% DM • Reduced lignin trait (BMR) can equal the quality of corn silage • Adapted for a single harvest • Non-host of corn rootworms • Available as Viking 401 and Blue River

Grouse 6 (identical genetics) Best Use: Silage, may make baleage if seeded at high rates Adaptation: Does well on dryland or irrigated fields; requires one-third less water than corn Management: Isolate from other sorghums by one mile to protect sterility and prevent seed formation. Manage potential for prussic acid and nitrate build-up. Harvest in the heading stage at 80-85 days for highest sugar content. Will reach boot stage at 70-75 days. Planting Date: Late-May – early July (soil 62°F+) Seeding: Seed 8-10 lbs/acre in 7” - 30” rows, ½”-1” deep. (For hay, plant at higher rate).

Available as: Conventional Untreated

ROX ORANGE CANE

• Medium, early-maturing forage sorghum developed for sweet syrup • Reaches 8’ to 12’ tall for high silage tonnage • Similar appearance to corn, except seed head is on top. Best Use: Good choice for silage or grazing. Grain can be harvested for feed. Sugar content of 18-20%; great choice for syrup production. Can be seeded with corn to extend silage harvest window. Adaptation: Drought tolerant; likes hot weather. Management: Manage potential for prussic acid and nitrate build-up. Planting Date: Late May to early July (soil 62°F+) Seeding: Row plant, drill, or broadcast 10-15 lbs/acre 1” deep

Available as: Conventional Untreated

MILLET

Millets are some the oldest cultivated crops harvested for food or feed. The crop is favored for its productivity and short growing season under dry, hot conditions. Seed at higher ends of seeding rates for finer stems and improved drydown.

Species for Multiple Cuts or Grazings

• Japanese Millet • Hybrid Pearl Millet • BMR Hybrid Pearl Millet

Species for Single Cut or Grazing Pass

Minimal regrowth that may be direct grazed. • Foxtail Millet • Proso Millet

JAPANESE MILLET*

• Upright, annual grass with quick growth in adequate moisture and fertility • Finer stems than pearl millet or sorghums • When cut before heading, protein ranges from 14-20% • Customers report high palatability Best Use: Hay, grazing, and silage. Excellent feed for cattle, horses, and sheep. Doesn't develop prussic acid, so easier to manage fall grazing. Adaptation: Tolerant of wet soils and will survive standing water, but does not perform well on droughty or low fertility soils. Not frost-tolerant. Management: Can be cut 2 or 3 times if planted June 1. Cut before heading and leave 6” of stubble for faster recovery. In a single- cut system, it can reach 5’ tall. Earlier cutting leads to higher quality, lower yields, and more drying time. Planting Date: Mid-May to early June (soil 62°F+) Seeding: Seed 25-35 lbs/acre ½”-1”deep

Available as: Conventional Untreated

TIFFLEAF III HYBRID PEARL MILLET

• Dwarf-type hybrid pearl millet; high leaf content • Multi-cut, warm-season forage grass • Coarser stems than Japanese Millet, but can produce more tonnage • Forage is high in protein and highly digestible with no prussic acid production or problems Best Use: Grazing. Can also be used for hay or green chop. Most frequently used in beef cow/calf and dairy operations Adaptation: Likes good ground but can produce under low rainfall and low soil fertility. Management: Begin grazing at 12" and do not allow to grow taller than 3 feet for best palatability Planting Date: Mid-May – early July (soil 65°F+) Seeding: ½”-1”deep. Drill at 15-20 lbs/acre. Broadcast at 25-30 lbs/acre.

Available as: Conventional Untreated

EXCEED BMR HYBRID PEARL MILLET

• Brown Mid-Rib (BMR); higher digestibility, improved feed intake, more milk or meat • Dwarfing gene increases leaf to stem ratio and standability • Excellent drought tolerance • Ideal for grazing cows and calves or finished steers and heifers Best Use: Grazing, baleage. Management: Begin grazing Exceed BMR pearl millet at 24 – 30”. Can graze down to 6 inches if you then allow time for regrowth. Leaving 6” of stubble results in rapid recovery after cutting or grazing. Planting Date: Mid-May – early July (soil 62°F+) Seeding: ½”-1”deep. Drill at 15-20 lbs/acre. Broadcast at 25-30 lbs/acre.

Available as: Conventional Untreated

GERMAN-TYPE FOXTAIL MILLET*

• Fast-growing, annual grass grows to 5’ • Fine quality forage, easy to hay • Not related to weedy foxtails Best Use: Single-cut emergency hay crop (Can be ready to cut in 50 days) Adaptation: Tolerates tough, unfavorable conditions; drought tol. and early maturing Management: Harvest in boot stage. Planting Date: Late May – early July (soil 62°F+) Seeding: 20-25 lbs/acre, ½”-1”deep

Available as: Conventional Untreated

PROSO MILLET*

• Fastest-growing millet • Easy to hay with average quality and moderate yields • Fast maturing; can produce 2-3 tons DM • Serves as catch crop where others have failed Best Use: Single-cut forage or grain; excellent for emergency hay, silage, baleage or green-chop. Adaptation: Good drought tolerance Management: Forage ready to cut in 40-50 days; cut in boot stage before heading for best quality. Grain crop in 70 to 90 days. Planting Date: May to early July (soil 62°F+) Seeding: 20-30 lbs/acre, ½”-1”deep

OTHER FORAGES

MILO-SOYBEAN MIX

• Mix of medium-height milo (grain sorghum) and a tall, bushy non-GMO soybean • Maximizes forage production and quality when planted after an early- spring forage • Yields 5-9 tons dry matter with protein between 10-14% Best Use: Not suitable for dry hay; must be ensiled. Management: Double-crop for silage after harvesting a spring forage such as oats/peas. Plant early (before June 25) and harvest in 60-90 days for best results. Manage potential for prussic acid problems after frost. Planting Date: Plant after last frost date through mid-July. Seeding: Drill 100 lbs/acre 1” deep. Provides approx. 500,000 seeds/acre, split equally between the milo and soybeans when planted at the 100 lb/acre rate.

Available as: Conventional Untreated

BONUS TEFF GRASS

• Fine-stemmed, warm-season, multi-cut annual forage • Best fit for dry hay production; grazing animals can uproot plants, particularly in dry conditions • One of the best performing teff grasses across various university trials; exceeding the yields of Tiffany • Adaptable to most soil type • Mineral content high in calcium and iron Best Use: Fast growing forage crop for all classes of livestock. Attractive green color for premium horse hay market. Management: Needs at least 50 lbs/acre N, and adequate P and K. Harvest in pre-boot to early boot stage about 45- 50 days after planting. Leave 3-4 inches when cutting. Planting Date: Late May to late July (soil 62°F+) Seeding: Seed 8-12 lbs coated seed/acre ⅛” to ¼” deep into extremely firm seed bed.

Available as: Conventional Coated with Pinnacle Green (OMRI approved)