The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission
Farmers Working to Enhance the Value of Grain Sorghum
What do Dwayne, Jeff, Stan, John, Bill, Roger, Don, Lynn and Greg have in common? They are all grain sorghum growers who serve on the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission. These commissioners meet throughout the year to invest the half-cent per bushel grain sorghum checkoff funds to enhance the value of grain sorghum.

Research
Most of the checkoff money is invested in research. Projects are diverse, from developing baking flour from sorghum, researching the effectiveness of sorghum in swine feeding, breeding sorghums with greater yields, resistance to insects and viruses and Best Management Practices. These types of research are yielding more opportunities for sorghum growers.

Research in feeding effectiveness of grain sorghum is essential to developing not only domestic markets but also foreign markets.

When foreign trade teams visit Kansas, farmer-funded research on effectiveness of sorghum feed, and the Grain Sorghum Quality Study are used in these visits to promote grain sorghum exports. (see chart on p. 4a for export information.)

Marketing
KGSC contracts with the U.S. Grains Council , US Meat Export Federation and K-State's International Grains Program to increase exports of grain sorghum. The National Sorghum Producers and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association provide domestic marketing services.

The commission's first Grain Sorghum Quality Study was published in 1998. The study is an important marketing tool for marketing our crop to domestic and foreign buyers.

Promotion, Education, Communications
Promotion, communication and education are other areas of interest to the commissioners. The commission works with the KGSPA to increase recognition and provide information through radio, television, and publications such as this one.

KGSPA staff also participate in several educational activities, teaching nearly 20,000 school children annually about grain sorghum and agriculture. KGSPA maintains a grain sorghum web site with information on commission and association activities and issues.

What is the KGSC?
The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission was established in 1977. The commission determines how the half-cent per bushel checkoff is spent. Checkoff funds are collected through the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

The areas of spending are:

• Production and New Use Research
  
• Domestic Market Development
  
• Foreign Market Development
  
• Promotion, Education & Communications
  

Who is the KGSC?
The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission is made up of nine growers from the nine grower-districts in the state of Kansas. (see leadership directory) These grain sorghum growers are appointed by the Governor to serve on the commission.

Trent LeDoux, Commodity Commissions Administrator in the Kansas Department of Agriculture, oversees the operations of the Grain Sorghum, Corn and Soybean commissions.

KGSC FUNDING - FY-99
Program areas in which your checkoff dollars were invested by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission in Fiscal Year 1999
(July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999)

Production/New Use Research
$425,803 (45%)

Domestic Market Development
$205,000 (21%)

Foreign Market Development
$122,000 (13%)

Promotion/Education
$204,816 (21%)

KGSC FUNDING - FY-98
Program areas in which your checkoff dollars were invested by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission in Fiscal Year 1998
(July 1, 1997 through June 30, 1998)

Production/New Use Research
$472,107 (49%)

Domestic Market Development
$189,000 (20%)

Foreign Market Development
$110,000 (11%)

Promotion/Education
$187,816 (20%)

FY 99 Commission Funded Projects

Market Development Grain: International Grains Program
KSU $36,600

Extruded Foods from White Grain Sorghum
KSU $23,130

Novel Sorghum Composite Flours Designed for Breadmaking
KSU $35,715

Effects of New and Improved Genotypes and Processing Technologies of the Nutritional Value of Sorghum for Swine and Poultry
KSU $26,250

Ergot: Is It Really a Problem for Livestock Fed Commercially Produced Sorghum Hybrids?
KSU $17,200

Breeding Sorghum with Improved Grain Yield, Greenbug and Virus Resistance, and Pre-Flowering
KSU $70,000

Breeding Grain Sorghum for Improved Dryland Production
KSU $45,050

Constructing Agronomically Useful Genes for Sorghum Plant Transformation
KSU $45,100

Weed Control and Atrazine Best Management Practices for Grain Sorghum
KSU $22,000

Grain Sorghum in the Central Corridor of Kansas:
An Extension Education Program
KSU $7,500

Evaluation of Early Planting and Cold Tolerance in Grain Sorghum
KSU $30,250

Integrated Agricultural Management Systems
KCARE $66,288

Market Development
U.S. Grains Council $110,000

Market Development
U.S. Meat Export Federation $12,000

Marketing, Promotion, Education & Communications
Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association $204,816

Marketing, Promotion, Education & Communications
National Sorghum Producers $205,000

Commission-Funded Kansas Grain Sorghum Quality Report Bears Good News
The first ever Kansas grain sorghum quality study funded by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission was completed in early 1998. The results were very positive, reinforcing the belief that Kansas not only produces the most grain sorghum, but also the highest quality sorghum. The study will be conducted for the 1998 crop as well, and preliminary findings from the Kansas Grain Inspection Service are very positive.

An impressive 77.5 percent of the Kansas grain sorghum graded U.S. No. 1. Virtually all the Kansas grain sorghum (99.1%) graded at U.S. No. 2 or better.

Test weight for Kansas grain sorghum was excellent. 99 percent of the 1997 crop met the minimum test weight for No. 1 grain sorghum of 57 pounds per bushel. Samples tested with a high of 61.5 and a low of 56.5 pounds per bushel.

Tannin sorghum has long been a concern for grain sorghum buyers and growers. 100 percent of the Kansas grain sorghum tested was tannin free.

Kansas grain sorghum had good levels of both protein and oil. Average protein content in Kansas sorghum was 8.9 percent. Average oil content in Kansas sorghum was 3.1 percent.

Three samples of outbound 1997 crop grain sorghum were taken from 71 elevators across the state for a total of 213 samples. The number of samples taken in different regions of the state were proportionate with grain sorghum production in those regions.

The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission funded this project. The Kansas Grain Inspection Service conducted testing, and the results of the testing were compiled and published by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association.

The study was printed in both in English and Spanish to make it more useful to trade teams.

A sneak preview . . .

1998 Preliminary Results
1998		1997
Protein	8.5	8.9
Oil	3.4	3.1
Tannin	0	0

Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission
Jeff Casten	Quenemo	785-759-3520
Dwayne DeTar	Coffeyville	316-251-2100
Lynn Goossen	Colby	785-462-7708
Greg Graff	Marienthal	316-379-4677
William Luecke	Hays	785-628-2603
Roger Oplinger	Jewell	785-428-3504
John Ratzlaff	Moundridge	316-543-2571
Donald Rome	Garden City	316-275-6792
Stanley Schmitz	Seneca	785-336-3368
Trent LeDoux Commission Administrator	901 Kansas Ave. Topeka, KS 66612	785-296-3738

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