Sorghum Making in Southwest Arkansas
There is a long history of making sorghum syrup. It started in East Africa and was first mentioned in the U.S. by Benjamin Franklin. The U.S. is the top producer of sorghum. Hatley Homestead (pictured) is north of Prescott just barely into Clark County. Sorghum is a grass like sugar cane and it is produced in large quantities. The family has been making sorghum for 100 years and do it every fall in mid October.
Sorghum is a drought resistant crop that can grow brittle if it rains too much as it soaks up the water. The particular variety grown at this farm is a sweet one grown for making syrup and takes 100-130 days to mature. Other varieties mature in 90 days.
Sorghum in general is a useful hearty crop that is also used for feeding animals as well as feeding people.
Hatley Homestead accepts visitors when they are making the sorghum syrup. The Hatley family was kind enough to share some photos with us of their sorghum making activities. Hopefully they will be marketing their sorghum commercially in the coming year.