In 2022, sorghum acres and sorghum yield in Texas and in the United States dropped substantially due to the drought. Spring rains and a slight uptick in demand are turning around a down year into a profitable outlook for 2023.
It’s estimated around 6.8 million acres of sorghum were planted this year. So why is the sorghum crop so prevalent and a driving economic factor in the Texas Panhandle?
“Most of the seed produced in the U.S. and most of the world is grown within a hundred-mile radius of Amarillo,” said Brent Bean, agronomist, United Sorghum Checkoff.
Sorghum is a non-GMO gluten-free grain that grows in Texas and in around 20 other states. One reason why there are so many fields on High Plains and South Plains growing sorghum is the close proximity producers have to sorghum seed.
“All the seed companies really produce their seed right in this region up in the Sunray, Dumas area as well as the Hereford area,” said Bean. “These are big regions for seed production.”
Demand for sorghum is increasing slightly. The United States is the top exporter of grain sorghum with China, Mexico and Sudan ranking as the top three buyers.
“Some of the things that have started to drive the demand is they found out people that have gluten intolerance that they can actually use grain sorghum flower instead,” said Jesse Wieners, farmer. “That’s actually made a new market for grain sorghum.”
Bean tells ABC 7 News there is new technology helping producers increase sorghum acres.
Source: abc7amarillo.com
Photo Credit: istock-mailson-pignata
Categories: Kansas, Crops, Sorghum