In recent years, the increasing popularity of winter bird food mixtures (CAHL2/AB9) has been clearly visible on shoots and farms across the country, further demonstrating the agricultural and shooting sectors vast positive impact on British wildlife.
These mixtures, which aim to grow and flower during the spring and summer, whilst producing a supply of small seeds from late autumn and throughout winter, help provide food sources for farmland birds in the winter and benefit insects in the summer.
The majority within these mixtures should be a combination of cereals (barley, oats, red millet), brassicas (fodder radish, kale) and other crops such as Buckwheat.
However, some structural crops can and should be used, and this is where sorghum comes into play.
Unlike previous stewardship schemes from years gone by, there is no longer a prohibited amount of sorghum allowed within the mix – it was previously a maximum of 10% of the weight of the mix. This ability and freedom to self-regulate is always nice, but if sorghum is over-used, could DEFRA put a stop to it altogether?
Structure Over Nutrition
Sorghum doesn’t deliver substantial feed value on its own, it can deliver a little in the right conditions, but this is not what it is used for.
Instead, it bulks out the mix and delivers vital standing structure, giving birds the cover they need on shoot days and in exposed winter conditions.
It’s particularly prized in products like our Broadbuster and Easy Grow, where sorghum’s standing power is a fantastic addition to shooting clients seeking secure cover for their game birds.
A Balancing Act
As mentioned, under earlier schemes like HLS (Higher Level Stewardship), you could include no more than 10% sorghum by weight in a wild bird mixture – meaning only 10 kg in a 100 kg seed drill load.
However, with newer schemes such as SFI, AB9 and AHL2, there’s no specific cap stated—even though the principle remains the same. Without restraint, over-inclusion could trigger regulators like DEFRA to deem sorghum unfit as a feed source and ban it outright, which would leave the structural integrity lacking at times when it is needed the most, such as on shoot days.
Learning from the Past
There’s a cautionary tale from past stewardship schemes: as sweet yellow blossom mixes became more common, some farmers overloaded them, and paired them with kale. But when kale failed, advisors blamed yellow blossom for outcompeting it—which was misleading. However, the result was a loss of trust, with the plant banned from future stewardship mixtures. We could risk repeating the same mistake with sorghum if we’re not careful.
Sorghum for Shoots, Not Farms
Sorghum is one of the more expensive components in mixes like Easy Grow or Broadbuster, and unless you’re managing shooting ground, it isn’t always economically justifiable for farms.
For purely farming or conservation purposes, there’s little reason to include it and it can reduce the cost of a mix, while the mix still provides the environmental benefits.
Climate Limitations
Sorghum is a Mediterranean plant that struggles to grow north of Newark or west of Shropshire in England. Its viability depends on heat and long daylight hours—so for most of northern UK, it simply doesn’t perform reliably. Recent guidance notes that most winter-bird food components work across the UK—but sorghum does not unless you’re in warmer southern areas.
This is the reason for us creating our popular Highland Pheasant and Finch mixture, which is a wild bird mixture more suited to the North of England and Scotland.
How to Safeguard Sorghum’s Place:
- Stress the importance that it is structural, not nutritional—and should be used sparingly.
- Don’t over-specify: Just because mixing systems allow high-structure blends doesn’t mean reasonable levels should be exceeded. And buying straight sorghum to add to mixes that already contains some should be avoided.
- Preserve long-term access: Overuse now could result in DEFRA banning sorghum entirely under certain schemes – potentially seeing all of us lose a valuable tool.
Sorghum Summary
Sorghum is a valuable ally in the right circumstances, giving gamekeepers winter-long cover when it’s most needed. But it’s not a feed source, it’s not suitable for all regions, and if we abuse the freedom we currently have for its inclusion, we risk losing it altogether.
The message is simple: use it where it works, in the right amounts, and it will keep working for all of us.