Grain Sorghum: A “New” Old Crop for NC

1. Grain Sorghum: A “New” Old Crop for NC Don Nicholson, Regional Agronomist NCDA&CS Agronomic Division January 31, 2012

2. Why the Interest? Palmer Amaranth — Game Changer

3. Why? Cont’d • Drought years • Difficult to be successful w/ corn • Crop insurance changes??

4. Why? Cont’d • Rotational benefits

5. Rotational Benefits

6. Rotational Benefits

7. Why? Cont’d • High cost of grain • High cost of transportation • Livestock industry

8. Livestock Industry Involvement • Murphy Brown Pilot Project

9. Offered growers a contract at 88% of corn prices. Industry standard until now . . . 80 to 85%.

10. Importance of Local Grain • Economical feed supply • Important to local grain producers • Economically important to N.C. • Farmland preservation

11. Nutrient Management • Offers flexibility in nutrient management plans • Good fit for N-based waste plan • Appears to be less sensitive to Mn

12. What have we seen so far? • About every row width . . . 7.5, 15, 24, 30, 38” • Advantages and disadvantages for all • Strip till, no till, conventional

13. What can it take? • Evidently, a lot • One grower says “its almost bulletproof” • 60 days, no rain, 95+ temps still heads with rain

15. Older heads and new ones coming

16. What does it need? • Rain, at the right time. • Nitrogen-recommended 80-100 • Phosphorus- 60+ index • Potassium- 70+ index • Sulfur- important on light soils

17. What does it offer? • Less risk/investment • Wider window to make a crop • Planting timing options— full season / double crop • Flexible cropping options

18. Variable Cost Budget • Seed 8lbs $ 8.00 • Herbicide 2.5qt $12.50 • Insecticide $12.50 • Labor $25.00 • Machinery $40.22 • Interest on variable cost $12.68 • Drying $15.50

19. Variable Cost Budget cont’d • Fertilizer • 100# N $50.00 • 35# P $21.00 • 50# K $26.00 Total $223.40

20. What does it offer? (cont.) • Short season, early harvest — 65 to 72 days • Same equipment • Good scavenger for nutrients and water

21. Where is it going? • Generating interest across the board of several integrators • One company offering 90% of corn to incentivize planting for them for 2012 • Another integrator looking for 20,000 acres in 2012 at 95% of corn price

22. Research Opportunities… • Fertilization requirements • Crop management • Management with animal waste

23. Challenges… • Planter setup/populations • Harvest timing • Grass control post emergence • Storage issues • Diseases/Insects • Unloading issues

25. Pitfalls… • Grower dissatisfaction with process • Marketing • Problems in storage • Old biases about the crop (bird resistance)

26. Bottom Line • Can’t consistently make corn • Pigweed is a game changer • Nematode pressure limiting soybean yields • Livestock industry important to NC economy

27. Bottom Line, cont’d • Good rotational partner for many crops • Market seems to continue to mature • Fits in well with conservation goals • Deer depredation a problem in many areas

28. Bottom Line, Bottom Line • Farmland preservation • We can grow it, successfully • It gives growers options • We’ve got to streamline the marketing aspect • Growers and elevators need to know what to expect

30. For more information . . . • contact your NCDA&CS regional agronomist • visit ncagr.gov/agronomi/rahome.htm • call the Agronomic Division at 919-733-2655