Colwich, Kansas
January 8, 2001

High energy costs, possible dry weather conditions, problems with GMO grains and the potential of short soybean seed supplies, could have more farmers considering increasing their grain sorghum acres in 2001.

In areas such as southwest Kansas where natural gas prices have risen dramatically, irrigators are desperately looking for ways to reduce input costs. "Producers are taking a good look at input costs versus return and realizing that maximum yield is not necessarily the only place you make your money," NC+ Sorghum Research Manager Jim Osborne said. "If you look at water use efficiency of grain sorghum versus corn, you could be talking two to three less irrigations. Plus grain sorghum has less fertility and management requirements."

Osborne heads up one of the most extensive breeding programs in the country at the NC+ Grain Sorghum Research Center located near Colwich, Kansas. His work not only focuses on stacking yield genes in hybrids, but also on improving characteristics of hybrids that will lead to yield increases as well. "If we can improve such things as standability, berry size and disease resistance we are going to increase yield, and yield is still the number one thing we are looking for," he said.

In many areas of the Midwest, drouth conditions returned in the 2000 growing season causing some producers to rethink their planting decisions. "This past year was kind of a reality check for some farmers," Osborne said. "When you start cutting eight bushel soybeans and 35 bushel dryland corn, grain sorghum becomes more of an option because of its higher drouth resistance than many other crops."

The recent problems with some GMO grains also make grain sorghum more inviting for some producers. That's because all grain sorghum hybrids are currently non-GMO. Concerns over herbicide-resistant weeds, the ability to breed insect resistant hybrids and a lack of research funding, have kept sorghum researchers away from going biotech.

Osborne thinks the non-GMO trait opens up other possible avenues for grain sorghum. "For instance in the chicken industry, if we could supply enough feed from tan plant, blonde glume hybrids to take them all the way to market, the non-GMO factor could hold a lot of potential in that market," he said. "Even some pet food companies are going 100 percent grain sorghum
because they know it's non-GMO." 

A possible shortage of soybean seed this spring may increase grain sorghum acres in some areas as well. This would be especially true if corn planting is delayed by a wet spring and farmers need another crop option. Osborne said that having a full soil water profile in the spring would result in good grain sorghum yields even if there were very dry conditions late in the
growing season.

NC+ Hybrids based in Lincoln, Neb., is one of the largest independent seed companies in the United States. Farmer-owned for over 40 years, NC+ nationally markets corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, forage sorghum, sudangrass and alfalfa. 

Company news release
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