Sorghum producers also should harvest forage sorghum prior to flowering, use good pollen management techniques for seed and grain production and disc fields after harvest. The rapid dissemination of sorghum ergot has allowed it to spread around the world in just three years. The disease first moved from Africa and Asia to Brazil, where it caused an economic epidemic in 1995. Then it moved to other South American countries and to Australia in 1996 and Mexico and the United States in 1997. During the 1997 growing season, the fungus spread from Texas to Kansas, Nebraska, Georgia, Mississippi and New Mexico.
Research continues in all areas, including identifying and breeding for disease resistance.
One thing we've learned already in 1998 is that drought is a very effective management tool. Glenn Duff is helping them breathe easier in spite of these anxieties. He's researching the best methods for preventing shipping fever, or bovine respiratory disease. When animals are stressed during transportation, organisms that occur naturally in the nasal passages can proliferate and pass into the lungs, causing severe breathing problems. Duff is discovering that certain feed ingredients like the protein supplement urea may improve feed intake and reduce the risk of disease.