Welcome to KNEB

News Links

Ag News

Sorghum Newsletter

Published Friday, October 03, 2008 at 05:31 AM

4201 N Interstate 27

Lubbock, Texas 79403

Telephone: (806) 749-3478

Fax: (806) 749-9002

www.sorghumgrowers.com

SORGHUM E-Notes

October 2, 2008

NATIONAL SORGHUM PRODUCERS:

the voice of the sorghum industry

Sorghum Scores Major Farm Bill Victory

Congress passed a measure this week designating uninsured sorghum and other crops planted behind failed first crops as ghost crops, meaning that the crop’s revenue will not reduce a farmer’s Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), or disaster, payment.

“This represents a huge victory for sorghum growers,” said NSP Chairman of the Board Toby Bostwick. “It is very important that, especially in these uncertain economic times, farmers are not discouraged from planting a second crop at their own risk. Congress has done the right thing by passing a bill that exempts the value of uninsured second crops from their calculation of revenue in determining disaster payments.”

In addition to the ghost crop designation for uninsured second crops, Congress also passed a provision suspending the so-called 10-acre rule. Under the 10-acre rule, farmers with less than 10 base acres were not eligible for direct or counter-cyclical payments. Farmers have one year to combine these small acre operations with other acres for the purpose of program payment eligibility. NSP is encouraging the President to sign this measure into law.

Ethanol Energy Use Significantly Reduced

A recent report by John Christianson, CPA of the independent accounting firm Christianson & Associates, PLLP, catalogues the energy improvements being made at ethanol biorefineries across country. According to the report, the average amount of energy as measured by British Thermal Units (BTUs) required to produce ethanol and a livestock feed co-product across all ethanol production technologies was reduced by 13.5 percent between 2004 and 2007.

The most efficient biorefineries demonstrated an even more dramatic reduction 19 percent reduction in BTU energy requirements, today using fewer than 21,000 BTUs per gallon of ethanol produced.

Likewise, electricity usage at ethanol biorefineries was also cut. The Christianson report shows a 13% reduction in electricity consumption at the average ethanol facility.

The results of the Christianson report are consistent with the results of the Department of Energy’s recent Argonne National Laboratory analysis of the improving efficiency of the American ethanol industry between 2001 and 2006.

According to Argonne:

Water consumption — down 26.6%

Grid electricity use — down 15.7%

Total energy use — down 21.8%

More information about this article as well as links to both reports can be found at http://renewablefuelsassociation.cmail5.com/e/530389/ewsi1y/.

Sorghum Crop Rated 53 Percent Good to Excellent

Coloring was complete across 85 percent of acreage, 14 percent behind last year and five percent behind the five-year average. Coloring was complete in Arkansas, Colorado, and Louisiana, and was nearly complete in South Dakota. Most advancement occurred in Missouri, where 11 percent of the crop reached the coloring stage during the week. Half of the sorghum crop had reached maturity, 23 percent behind last year and 13 percent behind the five-year average. Major delays occurred in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota, where the crop was 34 or more percent behind. Thirty-five percent of the acreage was harvested, 11 percent behind last year and five percent behind the five-year average. Harvest had not begun in Illinois and New Mexico and was behind normal in all states, except Colorado and Texas. Condition of the sorghum crop was rated 53 percent good to excellent, unchanged from last week.

From: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/WWNatSumm/WWNatSumm-09-30-2008.pdf

New Use: The ~~Corn~~ Sorghum Maze

A farmer in Oklahoma has found a new use for his sorghum: converting a traditional corn maze to a maze made from sorghum sudangrass. Tom Mickles, maze owner and operator, says the sorghum works well because it is too tall to see over and too thick to see through. NewsOK.tv did a story on the maze. You can see it here: http://www.newsok.tv/?titleID=1825806608

About Sorghum Notes

SORGHUM Notes is a publication of the National Sorghum Producers. NSP represents U.S. sorghum producers. The organization serves as the voice of the sorghum industry from coast to coast through education and legislative and regulatory representation. To learn more about NSP visit our website at www.sorghumgrowers.com. Write to us at National Sorghum Producers, 4201 N Interstate 27,

Lubbock, TX 79403. To unsubscribe to Sorghum Notes, please reply to hannah@sorghumgrowers.com.

SORGHUM Notes is sponsored by:

Sorghum Partners, Inc.

P.O. Box 189, New Deal, TX 79350

Phone: (800) 645-7478 Fax: (806) 746-5305

Website: www.sorghum-partners.com

E-mail: information@sorghum-partners.com

Quote of the Week:

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” - C. S. Lewis

Interested in Sponsorship Opportunities?

Call NSP at (800) 658-9808 to learn more.

Page Sponsors

CommunityLINK

Check out our community and available jobs.