Sorghum Checkoff Quarterly Activity Report July-September 2014
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Sorghum Checkoff Quarterly Activity Report July-September 2014 July Sorghum Checkoff Meets with Syngenta Florentino Lopez, Justin Weinheimer and Barney Bernstein, a Sorghum Checkoff consultant, met with Syngenta leadership in Greensboro, N.C., July 2, 2014. The purpose of this meeting was for the checkoff to learn about Syngenta’s efforts in sorghum, which are primarily focused on their chemical markets in herbicides, insecticides and seed treatments. Syngenta currently has a suite of products used in sorghum and hopes to continue exploring new options for the crop. The Sorghum Checkoff looks forward to working closely with Syngenta to bring new agronomic options to sorghum farmers. Aphids Slowly Rebounding in South Texas While harvest was in full swing in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend of Texas, producers observed aphid populations rebound after treatment in several fields nearing harvest. It was observed that the aphids were moving into the panicles but without causing damage. Natural enemies were present but their numbers were not as big as in mid-May. Only a handful of producers had problems with their combines due to honey dew, which is secreted by the aphid. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is recommended producers harvest their grain as soon as possible. However, they did not recommend any more treatment applications to control the aphid. Continued effort is taking place to control the insect at the AgriLife Center in Corpus Christi in the Insecticide Efficacy Trial among other trials around the state. China Export Demand Update China exports for the current marketing year ending on August 31, 2014, increased by 62,401 metric tons or 2,455,925 bushels. The current market year total was 4.44 million metric tons or roughly 175 million bushels with current outstanding sales at 1.33 million metric tons or roughly 52.5 million bushels. Sales for the new marketing year beginning September 1, 2014, increased by 55,000 metric tons or 2,164,642 million bushels. This brought the new marketing year totals to 693,000 metric tons, roughly 27 million bushels, maintaining strong demand at the port. Recent USDA Reports Boost Sorghum Acres The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service June acreage report increased its estimated planted grain sorghum acres to 7.47 million, up 12 percent from its March report. The 2014 acreage estimate is just 7 percent below last year’s total planted acres. The two largest grain sorghum-producing states, Texas and Kansas, planted 3 million and 2.8 million acres, respectively, and represent 78 percent of U.S. acreage. NASS reports as of June 29, 93 percent of the crop had been planted, 3 percentage points behind last year. Kansas Sorghum Taskforce Kansas Department of Agriculture concluded their Kansas Sorghum Taskforce effort to provide a focused, cohesive roadmap for sorghum. The Sorghum Checkoff provided information during this process. Special thanks to participation from Adam Baldwin and taskforce participants. The product will inform the Kansas Department of Agriculture and Kansas State University on priorities important to private industry and dovetails within the Kansas Water Visioning process. For more information, contact Kansas field staff Sarah Bowser or Jesse McCurry. Kansas Water Vision Tour Packs Rooms around Kansas In response to Governor Sam Brownback’s call to action for a Kansas Water Vision, the Kansas Water Office and Kansas Department of Agriculture released a draft Water Vision Document July 1, 2014. During the week of July 7, 2014, KWO and KDA held 12 meetings throughout Kansas to share the document and seek feedback. The plan directly discussed sorghum in the Technology and Crop Varieties Theme, calling for investments in sorghum. Click here for the full Draft Vision Document. Visits with Murphy-Brown While in North Carolina July 1-3,2014, Florentino Lopez and Justin Weinheimer met with Terry Coffey, Murphy-Brown LLC chief science and technology officer. Murphy-Brown continues to demonstrate their desire to purchase sorghum as indicated in the recent visit and in purchasing locations. MB Grain currently has 14 locations in North and South Carolina, in addition to one location in Missouri, Kansas and Colorado, all of which are offering bids for sorghum. Additionally, MB Grain’s website is currently promoting alternative rotational crops like sorghum and wheat to strengthen their ability to attract feed ingredients. Our support and involvement with Murphy-Brown helps to strengthen sorghum demand and supply. Doug Bice and Jesse McCurry also visited with Murphy Brown in Missouri location to discuss company needs related to grain sorghum. The location is an important pivot point for western operations, not to mention Murphy-Brown LLC is the world’s leading pork producer. The next steps include producer interactions, international opportunities and closer communication. Field Staff Visit Key Agribusiness Partners Kansas field staff continue to develop relationships with end-users, agribusiness and grain handlers. Recent visits with Beachner Grain, Scoular, Hannebaum Grain and Frontier Ag provided feedback on the need for greater consistency in sorghum markets and the value of the crop to grain handlers. Staff visited with Triple T, a pet food manufacturer, and Kansas Ethanol. These visits worked to establish or build upon these end-user relationships. Center for Sorghum Improvement Features Kansas Commission Supported Research Sorghum Checkoff External Committee Member and Kansas State University Colby Researcher Rob Aiken, Ph.D., highlighted both innovative breeding selection tools and research directed at improving sorghum genetics July 7, 2014 at the Center for Sorghum Improvement. Aiken is working to develop UAVs as a high throughput screening tool to advance sorghum. Aiken focused the remainder of his presentation on canopy traits that are integral to developing high yielding sorghum. Enginuity Worldwide Doug Bice and Jesse McCurry visited the start-up venture Enginuity at the Missouri Plant Science Center in Mexico, Mo., July 15, 2014. The operation makes biomass pellets and briquettes for power plant replacement of coal. Enginuity is one of 36 energy facilities in 14 states to accept Biomass Crop Assistance Program funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Their initial focus was on collecting stover, including milo and bagasse material. The Sorghum Checkoff is suggesting the potential of utilizing biomass sorghums as the company begins its promotional efforts with producers. Other opportunities for the company include livestock feed and fertilizer applications. Penn Pak II (Pennington Seed) – Greenfield, Mo. Penn Pak II is a company owned by Central Garden and Pet in California. This year, Penn Pak II bought more grain sorghum than in previous years. They source grain into Kansas and also have relationships in South Dakota. Wal-Mart is their biggest customer. The company competes with chicken feeders in Arkansas, ethanol plants and the export market. Joint Management Meeting The Sorghum Checkoff and the National Sorghum Producers executive committees came together last week to discuss the current programs and address business items required by the management agreement. The meeting served as an excellent platform to pave the way toward the coming year and share information on current highlights. Additionally, the finance committee for the Sorghum Checkoff met and worked on a preliminary budget that will be presented to the full board in August. Joint Seed Innovation Committee Meeting Last week the joint Sorghum Checkoff and National Sorghum Producers committee met to discuss seed innovation and begin the process of drafting a stance as it relates to seed innovation. The initial goal of the meeting was to provide a knowledge base of biotechnology and share information as to the positioning of sorghum in this critical area. The committee as well as the checkoff consultant will continue to draft language to share with boards to reach a mutually acceptable position on this issue. Clemson University Visit The Sorghum Checkoff and National Sorghum Producers jointly hosted faculty and staff as well as two graduate students from Clemson University in mid-July for six days. Clemson University Chair of Genetics and Genomics Stephen Kresovich, Ph.D., initiated the interest in the visit as he felt his team should learn more about the sorghum industry. Attendees were asked to submit questions pertaining to sorghum prior to their visit to add value. During the visit, attendees were provided informational packets, went on a tour of that emphasized the seed industry located in the Texas Panhandle, and experienced the ARS/USDA sorghum improvement program. There were excellent discussions about sorghum genetics as well as breeding methodology and concluded with seed production and conditioning. China Demand Update China continues to buy U.S. sorghum, making their largest weekly purchase since entering the market with 11.5 million bushels for the 2013/2014 marketing year and 3.5 million bushels for 2014/2015, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s July 17 report. China purchased a total of 161.9 million bushels of U.S. sorghum for the current marketing year as of the end of July, which ended Aug. 31, 2014, bringing total exports to 186.4 million bushels. China represented 87 percent of the total U.S. sorghum exports. Kansas Commission and Association hold first joint Meeting The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and Kansas Grain