Sudan is an annual sorghum grown for feed and hay that grows quickly and can reach 10 feet in height. Johnson grass is a perennial that grows as a weed in the US and Kansas. Grain sorghums are grown especially for their rounded, starchy seeds. The grain serves as a substitute for corn in feeding animals. Some grain sorghums grow as much as 15 feet high.
Farmers feed the seed to livestock or make the entire plant into silage.
In Africa, India and China, the grain is ground into flour to make pancakes or mush. Worldwide, common grain sorghums include milo, durra and kafir. The grain sorghum seed is the smallest of the three major spring planted crops. Early growth of the sorghum plant will usually be slower than corn or soybeans. Growth is not very rapid up to the first ten inches of height of the plant.