Sorghum Grower Kids Cover Contest

Your farm kids could be on the cover of Sorghum Grower! During this growing season, photograph your kids as they participate in sorghum farming activities. Whether it’s amidst a sea of red sorghum heads in a field or while they help out with harvest, your photo could be a winner. The winning photograph will appear on the winter 2014 issue of Sorghum Grower, which will arrive in mailboxes in January 2014. Photographs receiving second place, third place and honorable mention will be recognized on our website. For more information on contest details and for photo tips, click here.

Enter the NSP Yield and Management Contest

Crop conditions are up, and we have seen a lot of good fields across the Sorghum Belt. Don’t miss your opportunity to showcase your sorghum yields and compete with area farmers in the NSP Yield and Management Contest. This year’s winners will be recognized at the 2014 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas. Click here to go to the ‘Yield Contest’ page on the NSP website. There, you can download an entry form, instructions, deadlines and rules. Contact 806-749-3478 for more information.

NSP to Offer Sorghum Insider Program

Sorghum Insider is an exclusive three-day program Sept. 17-19 hosted by the National Sorghum Producers for industry partners, elevators and end-users that will take participants through the U.S. sorghum industry from beginning to end, covering all of the important issues impacting production, policy, markets and much more. Participants will get an insider's look into the new and exciting opportunities on the horizon for sorghum, while gaining a better understanding of how the industry works as a whole. A detailed overview of topics that will be covered during the Sorghum Insider program is available at www.SorghumGrowers.com/sorghuminsider. If you are interested in participating, please call 800-658-9808.

Photos from the Field

It’s an exciting time for the sorghum industry. Eager to see crop conditions across the Sorghum Belt, we started requesting this week photos from the field. Have photos you would like to share? We're tracking this year's production across the country and want to see the status of your crop. Send us as many photos as you like, and we will share them with the sorghum community. Just e-mail jennifer@sorghumgrowers.com. To view photos already submitted, you can visit our Facebook page.

Show us your #SuperSorghum

Another opportunity National Sorghum Producers if offering this fall is a chance for you to win a “#SuperSorghum” t-shirt. Please use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to post or tweet using the hashtag “#supersorghum” and let us know how your crop is doing this season. The more you use the hashtag, the greater your chances are to win. NSP will pick a winner at the end of the months of September, October and November.

NSP Seeking Irrigated Silage Data

After extensive work with the Risk Management Agency last November, NSP reported the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation board of directors approved expansion of the existing sorghum silage pilot program. This expansion enabled 58 additional counties in New Mexico and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles to insure irrigated forage sorghum acres for the 2013 crop year.

NSP is now working with RMA to expand this coverage to even more counties in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. In order to do so, however, NSP needs tonnage and acreage information on sorghum silage from producers in the following counties: Colorado—Pueblo, Crowley, Otero, Bent, Weld, Morgan, Yuma and Kit Carson; Kansas—Clark, Kiowa, Pratt, Edwards, Pawnee, Strafford, Kingman and Cheyenne; Nebraska—Chase, Red Willow, Dundy and Custer. If you farm in one or more of these counties and have data you are willing to share that will aid in this endeavor, please contact NSP’s Emily Henry at 806-749-3478 or email emilyh@sorghumgrowers.com.

Crop Report

By August 18, seventy-seven percent of the sorghum was at or beyond the heading stage. This was slightly ahead of last year and identical to the 5-year average. Nationally, 38 percent of the sorghum was at or beyond the coloring stage by week’s end, 8 percent behind last year and 2 percent behind the 5-year average. Twenty-six percent of the sorghum was mature by week’s end, 6 percent behind last year and slightly behind the 5-year average. Overall, 55 percent of the sorghum was reported in good to excellent condition, up 2 percent from last week and 32 percent better than the same time last year.

Upcoming Sorghum Events

Aug. 26             OSU 2013 Fall Crop Tour, Goodwell, Okla.

Aug. 26-28        USCP Board of Directors Meeting, Lubbock, Texas

Aug. 28-30        Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America (SICNA), Lubbock, Texas

Sept. 5             Edisto Agricultural Research and Extension Center Field Day, Blackville, SC

Sept. 17-19       Sorghum Insider, Lubbock, Texas

Market News - To view this week’s Gulf export grain report, click here.

Sign Up to Receive the Sorghum Checkoff e-Newsletter
 

Sorghum producers can also receive monthly e-Newsletters from the United Sorghum Checkoff Program. To receive monthly news and information regarding the Sorghum Checkoff’s efforts in sorghum research, education and market development, sign up at www.SorghumCheckoff.com/contact-us. You can also follow the Sorghum Checkoff on Twitter @SorghumCheckoff.