Summer Annual Grasses

You can plant summer annuals when the soil temperatures reach 60 degrees. They respond well to nitrogen and will produce a lot of feed during the summer months. Here is a great article on sorghum sudangrass management. Also check out our Summer Annual Best Fit Sheet.

NEW - > 2022 — SS 711 BMR BD - check out the tech sheet here!

The two pictures above are SS 711 BMR BD after two good rains - which came after 45 plus days of no rain and 100 degree temps - location: southwest Missouri.

August 2nd cutting.

Sweet Six BMR Dry Stalk

Sweet Six is one of the first BMR summer annual forage grasses that can out-yield many non-BMR hybrids.

Sweet Six has a dry stalk gene which improves the dry down timing. Often times this hybrid will carry 8-10% lower moisture in the boot stage. Sweet Six tillers profusely producing fine sweet stems - making it highly palatable.

The digestibility of this hybrid is increased by 20% which is proven by a reduction in lignin with the BMR 6 gene. This provides increased daily gain in milk or beef production. Sweet Six is more economical to plant than the sudan x sudan hybrids, produces more tonnage with finer stems and overall better quality.

Sweet Six Highlights

  • BMR 6

  • Dry stalk

  • Best Sorghum Sudangrass option for dry hay

  • High seeding rates = small stem diameter

  • Rapid growth, good double crop option

  • 45 – 55 days to first cut

  • Cut at 35 - 45” height

click here for more information

Below are 5 pictures of Sweet Six, no-tilled July 27. Chicken litter was applied post planting with glyphosate being sprayed pre-plant to control purslane and chickweed. Pictures were taken August 22.

Sweet Forever BMR

Sweet Forever BMR is a photoperiod sensitive summer annual forage grass, which means it will grow all season before it heads out. When sorghum sudangrass heads out nutritional quality declines quickly. This hybrid has improved drought tolerance and increased yields, when left to grow longer than non-photoperiod sensitive hybrids.

We recommend harvesting for hay or balage once the crop reaches 40-50 inches, but since this hybrid will continue growing before it heads out, it can be left to grow to a taller height up to 9-10ft. In this case the grower needs to watch the stem size so that they don’t get too large for the cattle.

In cases where growers chop, this hybrid can be grown all season and chopped once instead of twice, saving the expense and compaction of harvesting twice.

Sweet Forever BMR has reduced lignin, which increases the digestibility and daily gains of livestock.

Sweet Forever BMR Highlights

  • Will not set a head until September, when there is less than 12 hours 17 minutes of daylight

  • Photoperiod sensitive

  • Won’t get over-mature because of weather

  • Maintains quality with extended harvest

  • Matures 55-60 days; slower than Sweet Six

  • Use for rotational grazing

  • Good for grazing, silage, and balage

  • Can be used as a delayed, one cut sorghum sudangrass

click here for more information

Super Sugar (Delayed Maturity)

Super Sugar delayed maturity is a higher yielding, higher protein, summer annual forage grass for hay, grazing, balage, greenchop, or carbon-builder/cover-crop.

This hybrid has a high leaf to stem ratio and sweet stems making it highly palatable. The TDN can reach 58-62% and protein can reach 16-18%.

The delayed maturity trait allows this hybrid 25-30 additional growing days prior to heading. This trait is beneficial because the grower can in some cases delay harvest to allow the crop to continue growing, getting a higher yield where other hybrids would head out and lose up to 50% of the protein. We have seen growers harvest it once instead of twice to avoid the additional expense and time of harvesting twice.

Super Sugar Highlights

  • Conventional Sorghum Sudan

  • Delayed maturity = 90 days before heading

  • High TDN and CP for conventional

  • Good for 1 to 4 cuttings

  • Very high yields

  • Inexpensive

  • Great cover crop

  • ½ price of BMR SSG

click here for more information

Silo-Pro Brachytic Dwarf BMR  

This brachytic dwarf BMR 6 forage sorghum is a new high yielding hybrid that has growers looking back to the benefits of growing sorghum silage.

This hybrid has two traits that make it superior to other forage sorghums. This hybrid will not get taller than 6-7ft which gives it superiorstandibility. The BMR trait indicates reduced lignin, which will increase the NDFD and IVTD.

This hybrid’s leaves are immense. They create a canopy ideal for stopping weed pressure and evaporation.

It will be in the soft dough stage at 95 days. This hybrid makes excellent tonnage (up to 25 tons) by adding leaves and a thick stalk. This hybrid needs to be planted in the spring or early summer to reach full maturity.

Silo Pro Highlights

  • Brachytic Dwarf

  • BMR 6

  • Short plants (6-7’); lots of leaves

  • Great standability

  • High quality silage

  • 1/3 N, 1/3 less water than corn

  • 20-25 t/ac yield

  • 95 days to soft dough (chop)

click here for more information

Teff Grass

Teff grass is a warm season annual that makes excellent dry hay.  

In 45-60 days after emergence, it can yield two plus tons per acre of dry matter. It can make very soft, fine stemmed hay. Many farmers utilize it for horse hay.  

It likes to be planted into 68F or warmer soil. Teff needs a very firm seedbed to ensure good germination. Many producers struggle with teff because they plant it too deep or the soil is too loose.

At CISCO we joke about selling a basketball with teff seed. If you can’t dribble the basketball, then the seedbed is not firm enough. This is a great analogy.

Teff grass responds very well to nitrogen fertilization. A split of 50-70 lb/A at seeding, and 30-40 lb/A after each harvest will provide excellent yields.

Summer Delite Teff Grass Tech Sheet