Grain Sorghum History Grain Sorghum History Sorghum is a member of the grass family and a native wild plant of Africa. The first grain sorghum seeds may have been brought into the United States during the 1800's on slave ships. It is believed that Benjamin Franklin introduced the first grain sorghum crop into the United States. Broom corn is grown for the branches of the seed cluster, which are used to make brooms.
Sweet sorghums have sweet juicy stems and are grown to be made into sorghum syrup.
The syrup is made by pressing the juice out of the stems and boiling it down to the proper thickness. Sweet sorghums can also be made into animal feed or silage. Grass sorghums are grown for green feed and hay but can also be weeds. Two types of grass sorghums that grow in Kansas are Sudan grass, an annual grown for feed and hay, and Johnsongrass, a perennial weed. Grain sorghums are grown for the grain - round, starchy seeds that can be ground or mixed into animal feeds.