Find us on Facebook!             @KSsorghum   @ksgrains  

 Read our blog!            Kansas Grains Channel

Ethanol and DDGS Information       Buying Grain Sorghum for Export (US Grains Council)  
Links to Daily Grain Sorghum Prices       Sources of Sorghum Flour for Food Use

USCP--The Sorghum Checkoff

Read the Kansas Grains Blog
Impact of NASCAR on Ethanol  December 14, 2011
High Food Prices  December 9, 2011
Animal Athletes December 9, 2011
Positive Impacts of Crop Protection November 9, 2011

12-15-11--Two Kansas Farms Are Winners in National Sorghum Yield and Management Contest
Two Kansas sorghum producers earned national honors in the National Sorghum Yield and Management Contest. Levin Farms, in Phillips County won the Non-Irrigated Bin Buster award with their No-Till Non-Irrigated entry. The Levin Farms yield was 185.9 bushels per acre, which was 105 bushels per acre over the county average. Levin farms planted Pioneer 85G46. Jerry and Sue Long, of Long Farms in Washington County placed second in the Conventional Till-Non-Irrigated division. The Longs had a yield of 168.52 bushels per acre, 76 bushels over the county average. The Longs planted Pioneer 84G62. State and National Winners will be recognized at the NSP Yield and Management Contest Awards Dinner on Friday, March 2, during the 2012 Commodity Classic March 1-3 in Nashville, Tennessee

Follow this link for list of state sorghum yield contest winners

11-10-11--Top Grain Buyers from Israel Visit Kansas Office
A group of grain traders from Israel visited the Kansas Corn Commission and association, and the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association this week. The Trade Mission was arranged by the US Grains Council to introduce the Israeli traders to the US grain industry. The group included Danny Olshaker, CEO of Shovre-bar, the largest course grain importer in Israel. He was accompanied by the principles of the four largest feed milling operations in Israel, and the CEO of another feed import company. The group was accompanied by US Grains Council sorghum staffer Kevin Roepke.

Israel’s feed imports were privatized in the late 1980’s. This led to the three largest central feed mills, Ambar, Miloubar and Zemach and nine Regional Purchasing Organizations to establish a trading company, Shovre-bar. Shovre-bar’s mission is to serve as the central purchasing organization for the three feed mills and RPOs, representing 290 poultry and livestock producer co-ops.
Israel is dependent on coarse grain imports, totaling 3.2 MMT (120 million bushels) last year. Of this amount, Shovre-bar imported 2 MMT (80 million bushels), representing more than 65 percent of the total coarse grains imported and supplied 1.3 MMT to the central feed mills (representing more than 60 percent of Israel’s total compound feed production).
The group stopped by the Kansas Corn and Kansas Grain Sorghum offices after participating in a short course at the International Grains Program (IGP) at Kansas State University. They also made several visits in Kansas City, including the Kansas City Board of Trade, grain trading companies and USDA/GIPSA. The trade team visited several states during its 14-day visit in the United States.

11-2-11--Eight Kansas Ethanol Plants Receive Advance Biofuels Funds
Kansas ethanol plants account for eight of the 14 ethanol producers to receive pay payments through the USDA's Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels program. USDA announced the payments on Oct. 31. Payments are based on biofuels produced from renewable biomass other than corn starch. Ethanol from grain sorghum qualifies for the advanced biofuels program.

“Sorghum and corn are interchangeable in the ethanol making process,” KGSPA Communications Director Sue Schulte said. “Kansas is the nation’s leading producer of sorghum, growing between 40 and 50 percent of the nation’s crop annually. In fact, Kansas is predicted to produce 52 percent of the 2011 crop. Having both sorghum and corn as feedstock ibenefits our Kansas ethanol producers.” MORE

10-14-11--Sorghum Producers Applaud Trade Agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama
The Free Trade Agreements with Korea, Columbia and Panama passed by the House and Senate last night were welcome news to sorghum producers, according to the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association. The Free Trade Agreements were passed after being stalled for nearly five years. Senator Jerry Moran and Senator Pat Roberts both voted in favor of the three agreements. The state’s four U.S. Representatives also supported the FTAs in votes on the House floor with District Congressman Tim Huelskamp, Second District Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, Third District Congressman Kevin Yoder and Fourth District Congressman Mike Pompeo all voting in favor.

KGSPA President Greg Shelor, Minneola, said the trade agreements would benefit Kansas agriculture and the state’s economy. Total Kansas ag exports top were valued at nearly $5 billion in 2010.

“Being a land-locked state, we don’t always think about exports, but they are very important to Kansas growers,” Shelor said. “Kansas is the nation’s leading producer of sorghum, growing about half of the nation’s crop. The U.S. is the world’s top sorghum exporting country. On average, about 40 percent of the U.S. sorghum crop is exported.” MORE

9-13-11--Children, Adults Learn in Agriland at the State Fair
At Agriland, an interactive display at the Kansas State Fair, kids can find a cow to milk; a combine cab to climb into; saddles to sit on; buckets of grain to reach into; a soil tunnel to walk through and more. Several agricultural groups work together in Agriland, located in the Pride of Kansas building. The Kansas corn and Kansas grain sorghum organizations man the exhibit the first day and last day of the fair. Read more...

Pictured left: KGSPA board member Jeff Filinger, Cuba,
talks to a family visiting Agriland at the
Kansas State Fair. Read more...

9-2-11--Harnessing the Power of Plants: Studying Sorghum Genetics to Fuel Green Energy Research
Those choices at the pump may look a little greener in the future as a Kansas State University research team is conducting a study that could eventually add "plant" to the list of fuel options. MORE

8-26-11--KGSPA President Greg Shelor Testifies at Senate Ag Committee Field Hearing
KGSPA President Greg Shelor testified Thursday before the Senate Ag Committee field hearing at Wichita. Read his written remarks below. MORE
 

4-14-11--Kansas Atrazine BMPs—Oldies but Goodies
When you hear a song on the radio that’s been around for years, you find yourself singing along. Kansas farmers feel the same way about their atrazine best management practices. Through their state checkoffs, Kansas corn and grain sorghum growers funded research at Kansas State University to develop atrazine best management practices in 1996. Fifteen years later, growers are still using these BMPs to reduce atrazine runoff, according to Jere White, executive director of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association.

4-8-2011--Kansas Sorghum Association Celebrates Passage of Sorghum Checkoff
USDA announced the results of the referendum of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program today. Over 76 percent of the growers who voted in the referendum supported the continuation of the checkoff. USDA conducted the Sorghum Checkoff referendum in February.

"That is a significant margin of approval," according to Jere White, Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association executive director. "In the short time it has existed, USCP has made great strides not only in research, but also building markets for sorghum growers. I think growers recognized the need for the sorghum checkoff and voted accordingly." MORE

3-31-11--Kansas Growers Continue to Step Up to Meet Demand
Kansas corn and sorghum producers will plant a combined 7.6 million acres of feedgrains this year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service Prospective Plantings report. Kansas corn farmers are expected to plant 5.1 million acres of corn, up five percent from 2010 and the largest area planted since 1936. Kansas sorghum farmers are expected to plant 2.5 million acres, up six percent from last year. Kansas will plant over 44 percent of the nation's sorghum crop. Jere White, executive director of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association said growers are committed to meeting the needs of their customers. MORE

Roberts Speaks at Kansas Commodity Classic
Senator Pat Roberts comments to former colleague Larry Combest at the Kansas Commodity Classic. Sen. Roberts, Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee, and former House Ag Committee chairman, spoke at the Kansas Commodity Classic Feb. 22 at Great Bend. More than 250 growers attended. The Senator shared the stage with retired Congressman Larry Combest (R-Texas), who also served as House Ag Committee Chair during his tenure in Congress. Senator Roberts also delivered a speech at the Kansas Commodity Classic Luncheon. Follow this link to read the text of the speech.

WAKE UP TO KANSAS AGRICULTURE BREAKFAST--Governor Brownback and Kansas Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman (2nd from the right)joined the pancake crew made up of Kansas grain sorghum, corn, wheat and soybean farmers at the pancake breakfast in March.