2015/2016 Sorghum Harvest and Export Quality Report

VIII. U.S. SORGHUM PRODUCTION, USAGE AND OUTLOOK

A. U.S. Sorghum Production1

1. U.S. Average Production and Yields

  • According to the December 2015 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, average U.S. sorghum yield for the 2015 crop is projected to be 4.9 mt/ha (77.7 bu/ac). This is 0.6 mt/ha (10.1 bu/ac) higher than the 2014 sorghum crop, and is the highest average yield on record.
  • The number of hectares harvested in 2015 is projected to be 3.1 million (7.6 mil ac). This is 0.5 mil ha (1.2 mil ac) more than in 2014. The projected 3.1 mil ha harvested in 2015 is the highest since 2003.
  • Total U.S. sorghum production for 2015 is projected to be 15.1 mmt (593.8 mil bu). This is about 4.1 mmt (161.2 mil bu) higher than 2014, and is the highest since 1999.
  • After producing the smallest crop since 1956 in 2011, sorghum production has sharply rebounded. With the most harvested hectares in more than a decade and the highest average yield on record, the 2015 sorghum crop is projected to be the largest in the past 16 years.

2. ASD and State-Level Production

The geographic areas included in the 2015/2016 Harvest Survey encompass the highest sorghumproducing areas in the United States. This can be seen on the map showing projected 2015 sorghum production by USDA Agricultural Statistical District (ASD).

Relative to the sorghum crop produced in 2014, the increased size of the 2015 crop was primarily driven by higher production in Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas compared to 2014. Of the remaining six states, only Louisiana had lower production in 2015 than in 2014.

The U.S. Sorghum Production table summarizes the differences in both quantity (mmt) and percentages between 2014 and projected 2015 sorghum production for each state. Also included is an indication of the relative changes in harvested acres and yield between 2014 and projected 2015. The green bar indicates a relative increase and the red bar indicates a relative decrease from 2014 to projected 2015. This illustrates that harvested acres were higher across the board, with the exception of Louisiana. Yield changes were also generally higher, with large increases (greater than 10%) in Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. Louisiana was the only state surveyed that experienced a large yield decrease (greater than 10%).

1 mt – metric ton; mmt – million metric tons; ha – hectare; bu – bushel; mil bu – million bushels; ac – acre.