These shots are of a milo field at the edge of town I took a couple weeks ago. Milo leaves look a lot like corn but the plants are only about half as high. In Kansas there are three crops; wheat, corn and milo. No soybeans....which I am kind of missing being I'm from Indiana where soybeans are everywhere.
Another name for milo is grain sorghum. Milo is really the better crop for Kansas because it does well in hot, dry climates and doesn't need irrigated unlike Kansas corn. Milo grown here will go toward feeding livestock, mostly cattle in the area.
I don't pretend to know lots about milo; just what I've read and learned from DR. Since he's the manager of a Kansas grain elevator he's gotten to know this stuff first hand. I like driving by fields of milo because this plant is so hardy and well suited to its environment and it just 'looks' like it belongs here much more than corn. As an artist I have to say I'm kind of attracted to the 'flower' part of the plant. I like the texture.
...and it makes for a neat picture.
People raise it to eat instead of corn in sub-Saharan Africa. I have tried a few African sorghum dishes...it's an acquired taste.
ReplyDeleteCool post! My husband is NOT happy if he sees sorghum growing out with his corn! This variety is tall and can multiply like dandelions or thistles!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the beans are starting to turn here at home, but there is also some sudden death in the crops, and some think all this heat will not be good on the last growth of the beans. That would mean yields will be down. Stay tuned; it's just another fun day on the farm ;-)
Have a great weekend out there on the Prairie! Just to give you a heads up: PU plays Notre Dame next Saturday. First football game of the year, and it's a biggie! BOILER UP!