However, some sweet sorghum has been grown for syrup or silage in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Sorghum syrup is extracted from the plant by crushing the stalk. The syrup is produced primarily in the United States and is used by the food industry as a substitute for sugar. Recent research has evaluated sorghum as a feed stock for production of ethanol. The grain from sorghum can be used as feed for poultry and livestock.
Sorghum is a coarse grass that grows as an annual in the Upper Midwest.
Stems are erect and solid and reach a height of 2 to 12 ft. Syrup varieties grow to be 6 to 9 ft tall. The buds that form at the nodes often develop into branches. Buds that form near the crown develop into grain-producing tillers. The tillers develop their own roots but remain attached to the old crown.