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2015/2016 Sorghum Harvest and Export Quality Report

Contents

  1. Harvest Quality Highlights
  2. Export Quality Highlights
  3. Introduction
  4. Harvest Quality Test Results
  5. Moisture
  6. Physical Factors
  7. Mycotoxins
  8. Export Quality Test Results
  9. Moisture
  10. Chemical Composition
  11. Physical Factors
  12. Mycotoxins
  13. Crop and Weather Conditions
  14. Planting and Early Growth Conditions
  15. Late Vegetative and Mid-Pollination Conditions
  16. Maturity and Harvest Conditions
  17. Comparison of 2015 to 2010-2014
  18. U.S. Sorghum Export System
  19. U.S. Sorghum Export Flow
  20. Impact of the Sorghum Market Channel on Quality
  21. U.S. Government Inspection and Grading
  22. U.S. Sorghum Production, Usage and Outlook
  23. U.S. Sorghum Use and Ending Stocks
  24. Outlook
  25. Harvest Survey and Statistical Analysis Methods
  26. Survey Design and Sampling
  27. Statistical Analysis
  28. Export Survey and Statistical Analysis Methods
  29. Survey Design and Sampling
  30. Statistical Analysis
  31. Testing Analysis Methods
  32. Sorghum Grading Factors
  33. Moisture
  34. Chemical Composition
  35. Physical Factors
  36. Mycotoxin Testing
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VII. U.S. SORGHUM EXPORT SYSTEM

This U.S. Grains Council’s 2015/2016 Sorghum Harvest & Export Cargo Quality Report provides advance information about sorghum quality by evaluating and reporting quality attributes when the sorghum is ready to be loaded onto the vessel or railcar for export. Sorghum quality includes a range of attributes that can be categorized as:

  • Intrinsic quality characteristics – Protein, oil, starch and tannin content, hardness and density are all considered to be intrinsic quality characteristics; that is, they are contained within and of critical importance to the end user. Since they are non-visual, these characteristics can only be determined by analytical tests.
  • Physical quality characteristics – These attributes are associated with outwardly visible appearance of the kernel or measurement of the kernel characteristics. Characteristics include kernel size, shape and color, moisture, test weight, total damaged and heat-damaged kernels, and broken kernels. Some of these characteristics are measured when sorghum receives an offcial USDA grade.
  • Sanitary quality characteristics – These characteristics indicate the cleanliness of the grain. Attributes include presence of foreign material, odor, dust, rodent excreta, insects, residues, fungal infection, and non-millable materials.

The intrinsic quality characteristics are impacted signifcantly by genetics and growing-season conditions, and typically do not change at the aggregate level as sorghum moves through the marketing system. On the other hand, the physical and sanitary characteristics can change as sorghum moves through the market channel. The parties involved in sorghum marketing and distribution use technologies (such as cleaning, drying, and conditioning) at each step in the channel to increase uniformity and to prevent or minimize the loss of physical and sanitary quality. The 2015/2016 Harvest Survey portion of the report assessed the quality of the 2015 sorghum crop as it entered the marketing system and reported the crop as very good, with no incidences of aflatoxins and DON. The 2015/2016 Export Survey portion of the report provides information on the impact of the subsequent practices, including cleaning, drying, handling, blending, storing, and transporting of the crop at the point where it is being loaded for export. To provide the backdrop for this assessment, the following sections describe the market channel from farm to export, the practices applied to sorghum as it moves through the market channel, and the implication of these practices on sorghum quality. Lastly, the inspection and grading services provided by the U.S. government are reviewed.