As cover crop: Unsurpassed weed suppression and enormous amounts of organic matter.
As annual forage: BMR can outyield corn as a silage crop, especially when conditions are either too wet or too dry for optimum corn performance. Fields planted to BMR will suffer less soil erosion than fields planted to corn. Cut at 3–4' high for best quality. BMR silage tests at about 15% crude protein, with better fiber digestibility and only slightly lower total energy than corn. Tolerates mowing and can be used for hay, though it is high in moisture and must be conditioned to dry down properly. Severe drought and frost can increase prussic acid content to dangerous levels: do not feed to livestock under these conditions. Horses should not be grazed on pastures with sorghum or sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, nor should they be fed hay containing these species, to avoid poisoning.