Sorghum is a tall grain plant that thrives in hot, dry climates where other crops like corn or wheat struggle to grow. The plant produces seeds at the top of its stalk that can be ground into flour, popped like popcorn, or cooked like rice.

For much of human history, sorghum has been a vital food crop in Africa and Asia, where it originated thousands of years ago. Today, farmers around the world grow sorghum because it needs less water than many other grains and can survive droughts that would kill other crops. This makes it especially valuable in regions where water is scarce.

In the United States, farmers mostly grow sorghum as animal feed, though you might find sorghum flour in some bread or cereal products at the grocery store. One variety of sorghum, called sweet sorghum, produces a thick, sweet syrup similar to molasses. Some people also grow sorghum to make brooms: the stiff fibers from certain types of sorghum plants work well for sweeping.

When you see a field of sorghum, you'll notice it looks somewhat like corn, with tall stalks and seed heads at the top, but the seeds cluster together differently.