2023/24 U.S. Sorghum Crop Graded At No. 1 Certification For Fifth Year In A Row

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) released its 2023/24 Sorghum Quality Report today and for the fifth year in a row, U.S. sorghum was, on average, graded above the necessary requirements for U.S. No. 1 certification.

“The Council’s annual sorghum quality reports is an extremely important tool for defending our existing export markets and gaining market share in new ones because it shows exactly what to expect from U.S. product year-by-year,” said Brent Boydston, USGC chairman. “The report is always well-received by everyone along the sorghum value chain and the Council is proud to have offered it for the last half-decade and for many years in the future.”

The report, funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service Agricultural Trade Promotion (USDA-FAS) program and the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP), provides international customers and other interested parties accurate, unbiased information about the 2023/24 U.S. sorghum crop.

Data was drawn from 104 samples collected from 15 participating elevators and one participating farmer in the central and southern regions of the U.S., which represents nearly 100 percent of all U.S. sorghum exports, between July 24, 2023, and Mar. 15, 2024.

The samples were analyzed by the Amarillo Grain Exchange and the Cereal Quality Lab at Texas A&M University, where scientists calculated averages and standard deviations for each quality factor tested and reported results for the U.S. aggregate.

Total sorghum damage came in at 0.0 percent in the aggregate. Kernel diameter and hardness, indicators of maturity and resiliency, were similar to last year.

Additionally, tannins were absent from the sorghum samples for the fifth year in a row and protein, starch and oil content all increased from last year’s crop.

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