Sorghum Test Weight: Understanding its Importance
When discussing crops at the end of the season, yield is often the first topic, followed closely by test weight. However, common thinking that yield is strongly influenced by test weight is not always accurate.
Test weight is the weight of the grain in a bushel, or precisely in 1.244 cubic feet. It is typically measured by filling a container and determining its weight.
Grain sorghum is sold in the United States in 100-pound increments or in bushels, with a standard weight of 56 pounds.
High-test weights are not automatically associated with high yields and lower test weights do not always mean lower yields.
Historically, buying and selling grain based on volume measurement (bushel) was likely easier than accurately weighing the grain.
Author's summary: Test weight is a necessary measurement for sorghum crops.