Here’s a quick guide to the differences between corn and forage sorghum, courtesy of Brent Bean, Texas AgriLife Extension agronomist, and colleagues.

Seed cost: Corn seed can cost $100/acre compared to a $15/acre overall average sorghum seed cost.

Water use: Full-production corn silage needs 20-25” of irrigation water. That compares to 14-18” for sorghum silage.

Yield: Fully irrigated corn averages 27-32 tons/acre while sorghum silage yields, on average, 20-26 tons/acre.

Silage quality: Corn typically will provide better feed value but some sorghum hybrids have been shown to be equal to it in nutritional value.

Drought tolerance: Forage sorghum can withstand periods of drought better than corn.

For more information, see Bean’s full report, “Corn and Sorghum Silage Production Considerations.”