I’ve been cleaning the shop in preparation for Sheepy Hollow’s re-opening April 1…all the while keeping a close eye on Schaherezade who’s also due to kid April 1st. So, while it doesn’t feel much like Spring outside, inside the farm shop, the bunnies are hop’n!
Sheepy Hollow resumes ‘regular’ hours April 1, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 11 to 4; additional hours always by appointment!
Did you know…?
Broomcorn (Sorghum vulgare var. technicum) is a type of sorghum that is used for making brooms and whiskbrooms and is thought to have originated in central Africa. Broomcorn is a coarse annual grass that grows 6 to 15 ft tall. It differs from other sorghums in that it produces heads with fibrous seed branches that may be as much as 36 in. long. Broomcorn can be grown in practically every state and is usually planted between May 1 and June 15. A ton of broomcorn brush makes 80 to 100 dozen brooms. High-quality broomcorn brush is pea-green in color and free from discolorations. The stalks are of very little value for forage. The mature seed is similar to oat in feed value.
Benjamin Franklin is credited with introducing broomcorn to the United States in the early 1700s. Initially, broomcorn was grown only as a garden crop for use in the home. By 1834 commercial broomcorn production had spread to several states in the Northeast and started moving west. Illinois was the leading producer of broomcorn in the 1860s, but production of the crop in that state virtually ceased in 1967. Some production has occurred in Wisconsin since 1948.
Domestic broomcorn acreage is low because of the limited demand for the crop and its vast labor requirements, particularly for harvesting. In the early 1970s, approximately 100,000 acres of broomcorn were harvested in the United States annually, with the highest acreages in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. It is also produced in Illinois and Iowa. Today, half of the domestic needs for broomcorn are imported from Mexico.
Have a nice day!
Sheepy Hollow Farm 