Kansas Sorghum Harvest Strong but Profits Drop

By Scout Nelson

Kansas sorghum producers are preparing for one of their best harvests in years, thanks to plentiful rainfall and improved growing conditions. Fields across the state are turning golden as crops mature, with yields expected to be about 23 percent higher than last season.

For the first time since 2016, most of Kansas is free from drought, creating ideal conditions for the crop.

Yet a strong harvest arrives as the market weakens. Recent trade tensions between the United States and China have triggered new tariffs, cutting Kansas off from its largest export destination. China, a key buyer of American sorghum for animal feed and a popular alcoholic drink, has sharply reduced purchases since April.

“China has been our number one export market,” a Kansas producer said. “With that being gone at the moment, it is difficult, leaving our producers without our single most critical outlet.”

Grain economist Mark Welch of Texas A&M University explained that China is now sourcing sorghum from Brazil and Australia, leaving American grain to pile up. “Now we've got all this grain sorghum piling up,” Welch said. “What are we going to do with it?”

Prices have dropped sharply. In 2022, grain sold for about $12.30 per hundredweight—roughly $6 per bushel—bringing in around $400 per acre. Today the price is near $3 per bushel, cutting potential revenue in half.

Some U.S. sorghum may still find buyers in Mexico, Europe, or domestic feedyards attracted to discounted prices. But Welch warned this is not sustainable: “We're just built for a competitive advantage in the global ag markets, and to step away from that would be a seismic shift in the structure of American agriculture.”

Kansas, long known for wheat, has become a major sorghum producer. However, without access to global markets, even a record harvest offers little profit. The situation highlights how international trade policies can quickly reshape farm economics, leaving producers with full bins but shrinking returns.

Photo Credit:istock-mailson-pignata