What Have We Done for You Lately?

Like any investment, the returns of your check-off investments may be difficult to see. But where would grain sorghum be without it? The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission invests check-off funds in research, market development, education and promotion. Here are some highlights of commission activities.

Water Quality & BMPs
Atrazine has been targeted by the state and federal government as a source of surface water contamination. Growers had two choices: watch as regulators severely limit use or take atrazine off the market in Kansas; or take voluntary measures to reduce atrazine runoff. Kansas growers decided to take action. Growers mobilized through their checkoff to fund K-State research to establish effective best management practices for atrazine. The Commission also funds educational efforts to inform growers about BMPs. Today, Kansas farmers are known as national leaders in addressing surface water quality issues.

Domestic and Foreign Sales
The United States grows only 30 percent of the world's grain sorghum, but we are responsible for 87 percent of the world's grain sorghum exports.

KGSC works with the K-State's International Grains Program, US Grains Council and US Meat Export Federation to increase demand through exports of our grains and meats. The International Grains Program educates potential foreign buyers about food use and feed use of grain sorghum. The US Grains Council has offices around the world to facilitate exports of U.S. grain sorghum. By increasing exports of meats, the US Meat Export Federation increases the domestic consumption of grain sorghum.

Ethanol
With California's recent announcement of a phase-out of the fuel oxygenate MTBE, the potential market for ethanol is very large-a more than 200 million bushel market. Grain sorghum is the grain of choice at Kansas' four ethanol plants. To position Kansas for increased ethanol markets, the commission is funding an ethanol plant feasibility study through the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association. The commission promotes Kansas ethanol, an industry that uses more than 20 million bushels of Kansas feed grains every year.

The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission
The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission is made up of nine growers from the nine grower-districts in the state of Kansas.

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
  

KGSC FUNDING - FY-99
Program areas in which your checkoff dollars were invested by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission in Fiscal Year 2000
(July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2000)

Production/New Use Research
$383,044 (40%)

Domestic Market Development
$205,000 (21%)

Foreign Market Development
$136,000 (14%)

Promotion/Education
$238,500 (25%)

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%)

FY 2000 Commission Funded Projects

Novel Sorghum Composite Flours Designed for Breadmaking
$38,351 - KSU

Breeding Sorghum with Improved Grain Yield, Greenbug and Virus Resistance, and Pre-Flowering Drought Tolerance
$77,00 - KSU

Transformation of Sorghum with Agronomically Useful Genes
$50,000 - KSU

Breeding Grain Sorghum for Improved Dryland Production
$47,500 - KSU

Chinch Bug Resistance in Grain Sorghum
$8,500 - KSU

Integrated Agricultural Management Systems
$40,703 - KSU

Evaluation of Early Planting and Cold Tolerance in Grain Sorghum
$29,500 - KSU

Market Development Grant - International Grains Program
$36,600 - KSU

Extruded Foods from White Grain Sorghum
$31,880 - KSU

Development of Feed Ingredients by Integrating Grain Sorghum with Meat Coproducts
$23,010 - KSU

U.S. Grains Council
$120,000

U.S. Meat Export Federation
$18,000

National Sorghum Producers
$205,000

Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association
$238,500

Four Groups Provide Services
Four entities provide market development, research, promotion, communication and education services for the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission.

US Grains Council
The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission contracts with the US Grains Council to provide foreign market development. Council offices around the globe promote sales and create new export markets for US grains.

US Meat Export Federation
The USMEF works to increase the exports of meat produced with US feed grains like grain sorghum. By increasing export demand for US meats, the USMEF increases demand for US grains.

National Sorghum Producers
NGSP provides services to the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission including domestic market development, research and promotion.

Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association
KGSPA works closely with the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission to provide market development, education and promotion services.