sorghum
Amid sorghum boom, export market refocuses and narrows
Sorghum growers are headed for their largest crop in 16 years, 573 million bushels, says the USDA in its Feed Outlook. The bumper crop is due to a 20-percent surge in plantings and record-high yields of 74.6 bushels an acre.
A cost of production advantage for sorghum over corn
Sorghum is enjoying a resurgence after years of being over-shadowed by corn, thanks in large part to large exports to China that have boosted market prices.
World grain harvest forecast is third-largest ever
The world grain harvest "is still expected to be the third-largest ever," despite a heat wave that hurt the wheat and corn crops in Europe, said the International Grains Council in its monthly Grain Market Report.
With sorghum at a premium, who will plant more?
Thanks to strong demand from China, drought-hardy sorghum is selling for a higher price in the Plains than corn, which usually is the price leader, says David Widmar. The comparatively high price is likely to lead to larger plantings.
Farmer survey points to record soy plantings, sorghum surge
U.S. growers intend to plant a record amount of land with soybeans this spring, and to boost the acres of sorghum, now in high demand for export to China, according to Farm Futures magazine's survey of 1,297 growers in 41 states during the first half of March. Its estimates of 87.25 million acres of soybeans and 8.4 million acres of sorghum are higher from forecasts by Kansas State University and the think tank FAPRI.
Move over quinoa, sorghum joins the gluten-free marketplace
Drought-hardy sorghum is a minor feed grain for U.S. farmers. Compared to king corn, it is grown on a sliver of land, mostly in the Plains. " Now some U.S. food manufacturers are capitalizing on its most marketable trait: Sorghum is gluten-free.
Sugarcane aphid, voracious sorghum pest, heads northward
"It sounds like the plot of a cheesy 1950s sci-fi movie," says Delta Farm Press in a story about the rapid spread of the sugarcane aphid, which can cause huge losses in sorghum yields.
Four-week vote on whether to keep the sorghum checkoff
Growers can vote from March 23-April 21 in a referendum on whether to keep the sorghum-checkoff program in operation. The checkoff went into business in July 2008 to raise money for research on, and promotion of, the feed grain.
What’s a gluten-free, drought-tolerant grain crop?
It's sorghum, one of the major grain crops of the world yet eclipsed in the United States by the expanding range of corn and soybeans. In Africa and parts of Asia, sorghum is a food crop but in the U.S. market, it is primarily used in livestock rations and as an ethanol feedstock, says the Whole Grains Council. It's gaining some recognition as a gluten-free grain that can substitute for wheat flour in many recipes - muffins, pizza, cakes and casseroles are examples.
A farm export record and then a 5 percent slide
U.S. farm exports are headed for a record $152.5 billion in the fiscal year ending on Sept 30, says the Agriculture Department.
Trade war could slow Chinese soy imports for years, says USDA
China will remain the world’s largest soybean importer in coming years even if the trade war with the United States is not settled, but it won’t be buying as much of the oilseed, said USDA analysts on Wednesday.