As economic pressures continue for the ethanol industry, more plant managers are looking for feedstock options and, with increasing frequency, sorghum is among the feedstocks being considered.
 Sorghum is one of the five top cereal crops in the world. The United States was the world's largest producer of grain sorghum in 2007. However, it is far from being a household name, even in ethanol producing areas in Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri — the top sorghum producing states. 
 
 Recent declines in acreage and production have led to decreased private investment in sorghum and also brought about a technology gap between sorghum and other crops such as corn, cotton and soybeans.
 
 Enter the biofuels industry. Private, public and checkoff-funded research examined new possibilities for sorghum in the ethanol production process. Sorghum is now the number two crop used for grain-based ethanol production. In 2009, approximately one quarter of total domestic grain sorghum production is projected to be used in the U.S. grain-to-ethanol market.
 
 Among the benefits of using grain sorghum as a crop for sustainable ethanol production is its ability to produce the same amount of ethanol per bushel as comparable feed grains while using up to one-third less water during the plant's growth process. Sorghum also typically requires fewer herbicides and insecticides than crops such as corn and uses fertilizer more efficiently.

 
 From an ethanol production standpoint, grain sorghum is equal to corn as an input. One bushel of grain sorghum or corn produces an equal amount of ethanol. With that in mind, ethanol producers can make grain sorghum part of a successful feedstock procurement strategy — especially in areas where there is a ready supply of grain sorghum.
 
 Most major ethanol construction companies now design their plants to either use grain sorghum or corn. A number of new-generation ethanol plants are capable of receiving both sorghum and corn at the same time. However, for older plants, minor modifications may be necessary, including smaller filtering screens to handle the smaller sorghum kernel as compared to corn.
 
 The United Sorghum Checkoff Program was created to increase demand for sorghum in a variety of ways besides biofuels. Future private, public and sorghum checkoff-funded research opportunities include creating better yields in stressful and low-input environments; development of production and weed control strategies (general education on production); nutritional improvement, such as increased digestibility and protein quality; and biofuels production. The USCP is also funding research to examine sorghum's role in fighting cancer, high cholesterol and obesity.
 
 The USCP provides up-to-date information on sorghum's potential to be used as an ethanol feedstock, including facts on sourcing, conversion, sorghum byproducts such as distillers grains, and technical information at www.sorghumcheckoff.com.
 
 Bill Greving is the chairman of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program. Reach him at <a href="mailto:wand@ruraltel.net">wand@ruraltel.net</a>.

Sorghum's Increasing Feedstock Potential

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