Sorghum yield is up this season, say producers.
The first few South Plains fields were harvested by mid-September. The harvest will continue through November.
“We’re really getting into the heart of harvest so far,” said Justin Weinheimer, crop improvement director for the United Sorghum Check-Off Program.
And most of the grain that hasn’t been collected yet is ready or nearly ready to be.
A hard freeze about a week ago wrapped up most sorghum growth, said Calvin Trostle, an agronomist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Harvest-aid applications could benefit crops that are behind schedule only in southern parts of the area such as near Lamesa, he added.
“The crop in the lower South Plains might still mature a little, but probably not very much — it’s getting pretty late in the season,” he said.
Yields are predicted at about 60 to 65 bushels per acre — an improvement from last year — Weinheimer and Trostle said.
And like most other harvest seasons, yield appears significantly better for irrigated acreage.
“The irrigated yield we’ve been hearing about is very strong,” Weinheimer said. “We’re excited about the opportunity that that brings for growers.”
Trostle said the dryland crop varies throughout the area, from some fields with complete losses to others with impressive yields so far.
Observers attribute the grain’s success to fairly-pleasant weather and attractive prices.
For instance, the crop avoided an early frost that could have been more damaging than the mid-October one. And while more rain would have benefited, the moisture that did fall was certainly welcome.
“Overall, the weather has been conducive to producing a good harvest season,” Weinheimer said. “We were able to avoid an early freeze — which was a concern early on — which has allowed for generally-good test weights to be coming in on a bushel basis.”
Weinheimer added good news economically.
“Cash prices are remaining stronger than it has in the past,” he said. “We’ve been pleased to see it stay as competitive as it is.”
Sorghum yields are up not just because of successful growth, but because of extra planted acreage in recent years. Supporters list sorghum’s multiple uses as reasons for planting — it’s a major component in ethanol and challenges corn in the production of livestock feed.
“We’ve seen an increase in grain sorghum demand both domestically and internationally, primarily in the areas of livestock feeding and biofuels,” Weinheimer said. “Those will continue to expand, which has created increased demand in price support.”
In the South Plains area, sorghum was once used mainly as a rotation crop between cotton harvests, or as a replacement for damaged cotton. More growers, though, have recently begun experimenting with the grain as a primary crop.
via Growers anticipate bigger sorghum harvest this season | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.