News
Sorghum harvest expected to be average with demand increasing
The CEO of the National Sorghum Producers says he’s expecting average yields this harvest season.
Tim Lust tells Brownfield poor growing conditions will cause yield variability. “Areas that are going to have really good yields, some areas with more average yields, but a big increase in acres this year and the crop looks good for quality and as we move further north, it looks excellent,” Lust says. “A lot of combines running across the sorghum belt this week.”
He says demand for the crop continues to increase. “China last year sent some very clear market signals for more acres and more production and we’ve really since those export bids really drive a lot of increased acres.”
Nate Blum, Executive Director with the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board, told Brownfield at Husker Harvest Days Nebraska is no exception with a 54 percent increase in planted acres over the last two years. “There’s more demand domestically for sorghum-based products that we’ve never seen before,” he says. “Internationally, it’s not just China that’s buying, it’s places like Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia and I think for the second year in a row, we will have more demand than supply.”
Lust spoke with Brownfield during the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City sponsored by AgriPulse and the Agribusiness Council of Kansas City
