Sorghum Checkoff Quarterly Activity Report April - June 2014 April Pet Food Industry Outreach Doug Bice attended the annual Pet Food Forum March 31-April 2 in Chicago, Ill. During the forum, Bice attended sessions related to nutrition and sustainability, which provided ideas on how to promote sorghum as a sustainable product without having to do extensive GHG/carbon footprint modeling. Bice directly followed up with 10 different pet food ingredient formulators and provided appropriate nutrient profile and applicable general health information. Tyson Foods requested samples be sent for their project team to analyze. Glycemic Index Testing/Nutrient Database Update JPZ began efforts with U.S. Department of Agriculture on streamlining the USDA Nutrient Database profile for both sorghum grain and flour. The Sorghum Checkoff is working with Nu-Life Markets to send samples to Sydney University for glycemic index analyses on two different sorghum products. The analysis is conducted under controlled conditions on human subjects to identify the impact of the subject food source on insulin spikes after consumption. This is a critical piece of objective test data that will have dramatic impact for human and pet food companies and entities to consider as part of their product formulations. South Dakota Sorghum U The Sorghum Checkoff and High Plains Journal, along with key sponsors Chromatin, Crustbuster and POET, held a fifth Sorghum U event April 3, 2014, in Mitchell, S.D. Cooperative weather and an informational session encouraged strong attendance. It was a good day of open discussion, conversation and training. John Duff and Jesse McCurry shared sorghum messages, and Sorghum Checkoff board member David Freemark and Leadership Sorghum alum Adam Schindler gave clear testimony during the farmer panel. New Sorghum Checkoff Communications Director Faith Jurek joined the Sorghum Checkoff April 1, 2014, as the organization’s new communications director. She replaced Jenna Hightower in the position. Faith will play an instrumental role in the implementation of the Sorghum Checkoff’s strategic communication outreach activities and programs as well as the continuation of the Sorghum: The Smart Choice branding program. You can reach her at faithj@sorghumcheckoff.com. FY 2015 USCP Request for Pre-Proposals The Sorghum Checkoff announced in April that is was seeking pre-proposals for targeted research and education in strategic program areas including crop improvement, high value markets and renewables. The goal of the RFP was to “Further enhance the opportunities for sorghum producers through specific projects and/or education that will increase productivity, demand and/or value.” Pre-proposals were due 5:00 p.m. (CST) May 1, 2014. Download the official FY 2105 USCP RFP request Sorghum Executive Meetings in Washington, DC

Executive sorghum staff traveled to Washington, DC April 7-11, 2014, for multiple meetings. AMS is the Sorghum Checkoff’s USDA partner and provides program oversight. While in DC, Sorghum Checkoff staff members were able to meet with USDA/AMS staff, including Administrator Alonzo. This meeting was encouraging as it was the basis of beginning and strengthening our relationship within AMS. Much discussion centered on assuring diversity within the program and continuing to assure the board is a representation of the industry. Staff began working on a diversity plan, which will help address these issues in the future. Additionally, staff met with several attorneys to discuss future representation. Tom O’Brien, was the Sorghum Checkoff’s council during this time and announced he would be leaving soon. As such, the Sorghum Checkoff moved forward with a selection process to maintain future representation. Executive staff also met with representatives from NASS, ARS and ERS, and attended the Commodity Roundtable, a group designed to bring research and promotion organizations together by providing commodity groups the opportunity to share current activities, approaches and concerns. This meeting was a great opportunity to discuss structure and methods of effectiveness with other organizations. Discussions with other organizations made it clear that we must remain engaged and active in our relationship with USDA. Food Industry Outreach Doug Bice attended the American Association of Cereal Chemists Institute Technical Conference April 9-11, 2014 in Tampa, Fla. Of primary interest was a presentation given by ADM Milling on the health benefits of sorghum, its practical application in the milling process, as well as solutions to overcome the few issues with processing sorghum. A presentation regarding recent changes to the USDA School Lunch Program, whereby increased whole grains consumption is a recommended, sparked potential interest for future Sorghum Checkoff positioning. International Market Opportunities Doug Bice met with primary sorghum purchasers in Columbia and Peru April 13-17, 2014. Meetings took place with individuals from Solla, Contegral, Italcol and San Fernando to present sorghum production intentions for the upcoming year and included discussions focused on logistical concerns expressed by producers. Solla seeks additional information on pet nutrition profiles and ingredient listings for current sorghum pet food producers (Iams). Solla also requested updated production feeding guides. Italcol indicated they would be seeking U.S. sorghum on a go-forward basis due to the fact they will no longer receive long-standing tax rate reductions from importing Argentinean sorghum per the Columbian government. Price, as always, was the driving factor in considering “how much” and “where from” Italcol would import their sorghum. Dr. Gail Wilson Guest Lectures at Center for Sorghum Improvement The Center for Sorghum Improvement featured Gail Wilson, Ph.D., researcher at the Oklahoma State University Land Research Station and her work analyzing ecological systems and U.S. developed sorghum hybrids. Her previous research explored the symbiotic relationship between ecological systems and sustainability. In cooperation with the Samuel Robert Noble foundation, she is currently researching the relationships between modern cultivar and their ability to uptake symbiotic nutrients. Kansas agribusiness relationships developed by Field Staff Kansas field staff visited with several agribusiness partners over the past several weeks. April 12, 2014, Sarah Sexton-Bowser attended the Bartlett Coop Customer Appreciation Day and networked with producers in Southeast Kansas. Earlier in the week, she visited with Crop Production Services in Colby,

Kan., which highlighted opportunities to refocus sorghum as a highly managed crop. Jesse McCurry attended the Great Bend Farm and Ranch Expo and visited with several seed companies. April 14-15, Jesse and Sarah attended the Kansas Grain and Feed Association Annual meeting, networking with more than 100 elevator general managers. Kansas Water Visioning Meeting Nearly 200 water stakeholders visited Manhattan, Kan., for a water visioning meeting April 11, 2014. To meet the Kansas Governor’s challenge to establish a water plan, which will be presented at the 2014 Governor’s Water Conference, hundreds of water meetings have occurred since last October. The water visioning meeting the previous Friday brought together key water boards, including the Kansas Water Authority, Kansas State Board of Agriculture, Basin Advisory Committee Chairs, Ogallala Aquifer Advisory Committee, Reservoir Advisory Committee, State Conservation Commission Board and Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. During the daylong meeting, attendees considered water challenges in four key areas: water management, water conservation, water supply and technology and crop varieties. Topping the technology and crop varieties area was the need for sorghum research and market development. The full report can be reviewed at http://www.kwo.org/50_Year_Vision/50_Year_Vision.htm. Texas Grain and Feed Annual Meeting Shelee Padgett attended the Texas Grain and Feed Association annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas April 9-11, 2014. The meeting was a gathering of country elevator and feed manufacturer personnel to address hot industry topics. The Sorghum Checkoff and Texas Sorghum hosted a booth at the event. While attending, Shelee had multiple conversations with elevator managers and spoke with the American Feed Association regarding sorghum in pet food. Kansas Ethanol’s Board of Directors Meeting Tim Lust, Sarah Sexton-Bowser, Jesse McCurry and John Duff participated in Kansas Ethanol's board of directors meeting. Lust provided an update on behalf of NSP, while Bowser, McCurry and Duff represented the Sorghum Checkoff. The ethanol industry is currently in a strong financial position, and the sorghum team reported great discussion surrounding sorghum. Sorghum and Millet Innovation Lab Announces 2014 Funded Projects The Sorghum and Millet Innovation Lab announced 10 funded projects for 2014. These projects will take place in Ethiopia and West Africa. The following are the project titles and principle investigators: Ethiopia

Combining high digestible protein trait with waxy/heterowaxy endosperm traits to develop superior functionality in sorghum for food applications to promote sorghum value chain in Ethiopia – Joseph Awika, Texas A&M University

Genetic enhancement of sorghum and millet to promote commercial seed supply and grain market development – Gebisa Ejeta, Purdue University

Genetic improvement of sorghum and millet for resistance to fungal pathogens – Tesfaye Mengiste, Purdue University

Improved crop genetics, production practices and processing methods for increased productivity and nutrition for smallholder sorghum producers in Ethiopia and Niger – Tesfaye Tesso, Kansas State University

West Africa

Biological control of the millet stem borer and the millet head miner in Niger and Senegal – Malick Ba, ICRISAT

Expanding markets for sorghum and millet farmers in West Africa through strengthening of entrepreneur processors and nutrition-based promotion of products – Bruce Hamaker, Purdue University

Optimization of the seed ball technology for pearl millet, and agronomic and socio-economic evaluation in the context of smallholder farmers in Senegal and Niger – Ludger Herrmann, University of Hohenheim, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation

Accelerating the genetic enhancement of sorghum in West Africa with genomics-enabled breeding – Geoffrey Morris, Kansas State University

Development of biotic stress-resistant sorghum cultivars for Niger and Senegal – Bonnie Pendleton, West Texas A&M University

Trait Development Pipeline for Food and Feed Value in Sorghum – Mitchell Tuinstra, Purdue University

Biofuel Meetings in Washington, DC John Duff traveled to Washington, D.C., April 28-30 to meet with biofuel staff from the Departments of Defense and Energy. Duff reported significant interest in sorghum and productive discussions about the crop in the context of next-generation biochemicals, biofuels, biopower and bioproducts. Providing educational information on the many facets of sorghum is an important step in maintaining communication with these departments, which could lead to sorghum projects in the future.

NRCS - Texas State Technical Committee Justin Weinheimer and Shelee Padgett attended the NRCS State Technical Committee meeting in Austin, Texas April 17, 2014. Updates were provided by several Texas agricultural and governmental entities. The Sorghum Checkoff explored opportunities of how to leverage investments with NRCS on conservation efforts. Sorghum remains an ideal conservation crop in many growing areas in Texas, and the Sorghum Checkoff will continue to work closely with the TGSB and NRCS to provide information on sorghum’s ability to help in agricultural conservation efforts.

Staff Strategic Planning Meeting Sorghum Checkoff and National Sorghum Producers staff came together, along with chairmen Stewart Weaver and J.B. Stewart, for a staff meeting in Lubbock April 22-25, 2014, to make progress on important issues in preparation for work plans and budgets to be presented to the board. The staff and leadership continue to focus and refine their efforts for better outcomes.

FNCE – Texas Academy JPZ contractor, E.C. Henley, represented the Sorghum Checkoff at the Texas Food and Nutrition Conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, April 24-26. Numerous inquiries were made with more visitors to the sorghum booth than previous years. Per Henley, there were not enough recipe pamphlets or sorghum flour samples to provide for the number of inquiries made.

May China Makes New Purchases The first two weeks of May showed an upswing in sorghum purchases by China and Japan. There were 297,200 metric tons or 11.75 million bushels in sales reported last week. The majority of these bushels were purchased by China and the smaller portion to Japan. For the year, total committed sales are listed as 3.96 million metric tons or roughly 156 million bushels. This demand continues to be led by China with Japan and Mexico remaining active in purchases. Based on current data, this demand would

represent roughly 40 percent of the total sorghum production. These factors continue to drive strong port values and push internal basis rates higher. Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, Association Join in Cooperative Agreement The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association jointly announced in a press release their cooperative agreement May 1, 2014. Click here for the full release. New Pesticide Approved for Texas Sorghum EPA announced that Transfrom WG, a Dow Agrosciences chemical, has been approved through a Section 18 exemption for use on Texas sorghum to help control the sugarcane aphid. This product will provide Texas growers another tool to help control the new aphid, which appeared in the coastal and central growing regions of Texas during the late 2013 growing season. Please visit the Texas Department of Agriculture website for further information. For more information on the sugarcane aphid, visit the Sorghum Checkoff website. Sorghum Human-Use Meetings Doug Bice met with Milex regarding an opportunity with sorghum oil as a fragrance source. Bice also met with a farmer seeking possible expansion of his organic sorghum operation to also include gluten-free/non-GMO qualifications for his business. Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association Annual Meeting Jesse McCurry attended the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Okla., April 29-30. McCurry had the opportunity to make several important contacts with grain companies while promoting sorghum. While visiting with conference-goers, several noted that Oklahoma is in severe drought and crop conditions are deteriorating. There are several opportunities going forward in this state for sorghum. Kansas Sorghum Taskforce meeting, Salina, Kan. Adam Baldwin, Sarah Sexton-Bowser, Jesse McCurry and others lent their voices in a planning discussion convened by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Given focus on water planning across the state, the participants began to provide draft input regarding priorities for sorghum in Kansas. Abengoa Doug Bice and Jesse McCurry visited with Abengoa about planned efforts in Kansas, Nebraska and the RFP process. California Ethanol Meetings Tim Lust, Jesse McCurry, Sarah Sexton-Bowser, Shelee Padgett and John Duff hosted California ethanol producers Aemetis, Calgren Renewable Fuels and Pacific Ethanol May 5-7 for meetings with various Sorghum Belt grain originators. The ethanol producers visited seven diverse originators representing farmer-owned cooperatives, marketing alliances and commercial grain companies. The meetings were highly successful as the originators saw potential to better-manage and even increase their handling of sorghum given a reliable domestic market is put in place. The ethanol producers were also pleased with the trip's outcome and each expressed interest in working on a plan to begin the flow of sorghum into California. Communication Strategy Meeting Tim Lust, Florentino Lopez and the communications team met May 13-14 to work through strategic discussions on handling the communications work load and to establish a communications mission

statement: “Provide strategically integrated information, communication and education to distinguish sorghum as the smart choice.” As the Sorghum Checkoff develops more and more programming and branding activities, it is critical we ensure our communications team is properly structured and positioned to meet the needs of the organization and industry. The meeting helped identify key priorities as the communications work plan for 2014-2015 is developed. The communications team looks forward to sharing with the board as we fine tune the inner workings of the Sorghum Checkoff’s ICE programming. Sorghum Checkoff Meets with Dow AgroSciences Florentino Lopez, Justin Weinheimer and Barney Bernstein met with Dow AgroSciecenes leadership at their global headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., May 6. The group discussed various aspects of Dow AgroSciences sorghum program including their Triumph and Mycogen seed genetics, chemical development and forages division. The meeting was productive as it explored collaborative opportunities for the Sorghum Checkoff and Dow AgroSciences. The Sorghum Checkoff will continue to build a productive relationship with Dow AgroSciences and looks forward to working closely with them to build and strengthen the sorghum industry. Pre-Proposals – HVM, Crop Improvement and Renewables A total of 119 pre-proposals were submitted totaling $20 million and were reviewed. Pre-proposal submissions include 41 for high value markets, 51 for crop improvement and 27 for renewables. Center for Sorghum Improvement hosts Dr. Laura Mayor The Center for Sorghum Improvement hosted feature guest Dr. Laura Mayor May 5, 2014. Dr. Mayor leads the Manhattan DuPont Pioneer sorghum research and breeding program. Topping her presentation was the recent transition the DuPont Pioneer Sorghum research department made to implement new phenotypic and genotypic technologies to improve efficiency and productivity in their hybrid development process. Her presentation featured the recently announced collaboration between Pioneer and the Sorghum Checkoff and the supportive work that will occur in Manhattan, Kan. Wilbur-Ellis Jesse McCurry had an introductory meeting with Wilbur-Ellis, a leading international marketer and distributor of agricultural products, specialty chemicals and animal feed ingredients, at their new office in Valley Center, Kan. Wilbur-Ellis is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., and has more than $3 billion in sales revenues. Wilbur-Ellis was particularly interested in collaborative opportunities with companion animals, exports and seed production. Conestoga Annual Meeting Conestoga Energy Partners, LLC celebrated a successful year at their annual meeting in Garden City, Kan. May 7. Tim Lust and Jesse McCurry were in attendance. Drought was a major concern but attendees were resilient and keenly focused on the future. "Rudy" Ruettiger of Notre Dame spoke to the crowd and challenged attendees to focus on their dreams and never quit, by saying "it is always too soon to quit." AFB International As requested by AFB, a pet palatability research company located in St. Louis, Mo., product specifications and MSDs were submitted for review for potential inclusion in product formulations. Requests for sorghum types and components will be submitted next week once the product data review is completed.

Export Sorghum With an increased demand for sorghum globally, the Sorghum Checkoff and Texas Grain Sorghum Association jointly hosted the first Export Sorghum in Houston, Texas May 19-21. Export Sorghum, an exclusive, two-day seminar for U.S. buyers of grain sorghum, brought together international grain buyers from China, Japan, Mexico and Spain and approximately 30 domestic grain buyers. During the event, attendees were provided insight on sorghum markets, trade opportunities, contract education and logistics. In addition to education, the group toured Guy Farms and the Cargill facility at the Port of Houston. The significance of Export Sorghum is tremendous as it provided invaluable networking opportunities in hopes of leading to future market opportunities for producers. At the conclusion of the event, surveys where distributed. Some of the feedback received included:

“Great conference. Wonderful opportunity to learn about aspects of sorghum export and in general that I've never heard before.”

“Best meeting I have been to in years. Great job. Look forward to the next one. Loved seeing the usage of sorghum.”

China Buys Big Yet Again Sorghum exports continue to grow due to strong Chinese demand. This week’s FAS report indicated an additional 112,273 metric tons (4.4 million bushels) in added sales to the current market year. An additional 60,000 metric tons (2.3 million bushels) were added to the new market year starting in September 2014. These commitments bring the current marketing year total to 160 million bushels and the new market year total to 16 million bushels. Pratt Energy LLC Martin Kerschen, Sarah Sexton-Bowser and Jesse McCurry led a small group interaction with area producers as well as Scoular and Pratt Energy on May 23. Topics included desirability of sorghum distillers, starch conversion, direct producer contracts, storage and back hauls and the evolution of the sorghum and ethanol businesses. All parties are committed to dealing with misconceptions, engaging more Pratt-area producers directly, providing research-based information to influencers, and establishing more partnerships going forward. Pratt seeks to maintain a high presence of milo in their grind. Kansas Taskforce At the behest of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the Sorghum Checkoff continues to participate in a “roadmap” process to advance sorghum in Kansas. Adam Baldwin is active on the taskforce. An early emerging draft plan for review includes input from private industry. Kansas Water Authority Jesse McCurry attended the Kansas Water Authority meeting in Garden City on May 21. The water visioning process includes technology and crop variety items. Tracy Streeter, director of the Kansas Water office said, “They all get excited about sorghum.” U.S. Biotech Crops Alliance Justin Weinheimer and Gretchen Flanley, Sorghum Checkoff consultant, attended the U.S. Biotech Crops Alliance board of directors meeting May 20 in Washington, D.C. The purpose of this first board of directors meeting was to adopt board policy and formalize subcommittees within the USBCA. This meeting allows the sorghum industry to closely interact with technology providers and the grain trade

industry to explore opportunities for sorghum seed innovation. Additionally, the alliance provides the Sorghum Checkoff an opportunity to understand industry related international trade dynamics as it relates to biotechnology not only for direction within sorghum but also for all commercially traded commodities. Herbicide Resistance Stakeholder Meeting Justin Weinheimer attended a herbicide resistance stakeholder meeting sponsored by the United Soybean Board in St. Louis, Mo., May 21-22. Attendees of this meeting included seed technology providers as well as state and national commodity trade organizations. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the current status of herbicide resistant weeds in the U.S. and develop an industry-wide communication and education strategy to address the issue. This effort, spearheaded by the United Soybean Board, has been named “Take Action Against Herbicide Resistance,” which allows for a communication forum within the industry about herbicide resistant weeds. The Sorghum Checkoff will continue to evaluate the opportunities to support efforts toward addressing this critical issue within U.S. agriculture.

June Fuel Ethanol Workshop John Duff and Faith Jurek attended the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo in Indianapolis, Ind., June 9-11, 2014. The Sorghum Checkoff continued its run as an exhibitor. Duff and Jurek reported good booth traffic from both long-time Sorghum Checkoff contacts as well as new contacts. Duff reported particularly meaningful conversations and session topics related to alternative co-product opportunities. Since the Sorghum Checkoff is beginning to explore these opportunities in cooperation with sorghum ethanol plants, these conversations and sessions were very timely. Staggenborg returns to Kansas State University for Center for Sorghum Improvement Seminar Highlighting the June Center for Sorghum Improvement Seminar at Kansas State University was Chromatin’ Scott Staggenborg, Ph.D. Packing the seminar room, Staggenborg discussed Chromatin’s breeding program and the company’s singular focus on sorghum. While at K-State, Staggenborg visited key sorghum researchers and shared feedback on their programs and how K-State can effectively support the sorghum industry as well as farmers. Kansas Field Conference highlights Sorghum, Water and Ethanol The annual Kansas Field Conference invited the Sorghum Checkoff and the Kansas Grain Commission to host a tour and discuss sorghum’s water sipping attributes. Kansas Field Conference attendees comprised of key Kansas decision makers that were able to hear firsthand the sorghum story. More than 50 participants visited Kansas Ethanol LLC., Tuesday, June 3, to see the utilization of sorghum in an ethanol plant. Prior to the tour, participants heard from the Kansas Water Authority Chair and southwest Kansas farmer Gary Harshberger and Sorghum Checkoff staff. Harshberger discussed the Kansas Water Visioning process and sorghum’s value for his farming operation. Jesse McCurry and Sarah Sexton-Bowser provided a presentation regarding the Kansas sorghum industry and sorghum’s water sipping properties. Several sorghum farmers joined the tour and addressed one-on-one questions with attendees, which was instrumental to the event. Kansas Field Staff visit Kansas Commissioners, Agribusiness and Extension Jesse McCurry and Sarah Sexton-Bowser visited new Kansas Grain Sorghum Commissioners, Jay Zimmerman and Stephen Bigge, to discuss recent research investments and continued research

priorities. McCurry and Sexton-Bowser also visited Gary Cramer in his role at the Hutchinson KSU Research facility. Sexton-Bowser held meetings with key businesses in grain handling including Kansas Grain Inspection Service, ADM and Scoular. An end-user meeting was also held with Lortscher Animal Nutrition, a company in Bern, Kan., that custom blends pet food. Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board meeting Jesse McCurry attended the Nebraska Grain Sorghum board meeting in Lincoln, Neb., and gave a Sorghum Checkoff update. The meeting included much discussion on crop progress and quality not only in Nebraska but throughout the sorghum belt. The board heard updates from USDA ARS and Ismail Dweikat, Ph.D. Emerging partnerships, funding and needs were also discussed. The board worked through their budget planning and is excited about summer events, particularly Sorghum360. Growth Energy/POET Jesse McCurry visited with Growth Energy’s Kelly Manning and toured POET headquarters in Sioux Falls, S.D., discussing needs and opportunities in the ethanol industry and for sorghum. NuGen Energy, LLC Jesse McCurry attended the NuGen Energy LLC., Customer Appreciation day in Marion, S.D., and visited with attendees about sorghum. The NuGen Energy plant produces 110 million gallons per year and has been in operation since 2008. They process approximately 40 million bushels of grain per year and use grain sorghum from northern and western South Dakota. Regional Conservation Partnership Program Team Sorghum facilitated work and relationships aimed toward projects extending the life of the Ogallala across state lines. NRCS has a pre-proposal deadline mid-July. Several states are considering putting in RCPP proposals that include sorghum as an alternative crop in water savings. Water remains a hot topic in several states. While Kansas has received almost double what is normal rainfall in early June, a climatologist for Kansas stated, “We didn’t get in a drought in one month and we won’t get out of one in one month.” South Texas Nearing Harvest, Encouraged to Scout for Aphids While on a recent crop tour of the Texas Coastal Bend, Shelee Padgett witnessed the good quality and condition of the current grain sorghum crop, which is nearing harvest. While no major quality issues have been identified to date, growers need to be aware of the sugarcane aphid in South Texas. Padgett indicated the aphid is continuing to move north and east from the Costal Bend and can move rapidly through fields if not monitored. The Sorghum Checkoff recommends growers take a proactive approach and carefully monitor their grain sorghum fields. For more information on the aphid and on scouting sorghum fields, visit the checkoff’s Sorghum Stories blog. Gavilon Jesse McCurry and Adam Schindler visited Gavilon in Kimball, S.D., and met location manager Todd Yeaton. Yeaton attended SorghumU in Mitchell, S.D., and has interest going forward given Gavilon's considerable footprint. He was particularly interested in exports, rail and young people involved in the sorghum industry. Texas Sorghum Crop Tour

Tim Lust, Jennifer Blackburn, Shelee Padgett and Faith Jurek participated in the Texas Grain Sorghum Producers’ crop tour with a group of Chinese sorghum buyers June 24-26, 2014. The Chinese sorghum buyers were primarily focused on large purchases for their duck producers. Additionally, one company was interested in containers of sorghum for vinegar production. As part of the tour, the group visited a number of sorghum fields which will be harvested within the next three weeks. Lust reported excellent sorghum quality despite the very dry conditions during the last month. The farmer price ranged from 15 cents under the CBOT to 80 over the CBOT price. This price is from 40 cents per bushel to a $1.00 per bushel more than the price of corn in the same Coastal Bend area. This is just one more example of how important the Chinese market is right now to sorghum growers with access to Gulf markets. SINCA Justin Weinheimer, Tim Lust, Sarah Bowser and Jesse McCurry participated in Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America June 25-27, 2014. The group reported learning a lot about the sugarcane aphid that has impacted crops in South Texas and Louisiana, in addition to receiving many other updates on projects that have been completed within the last year by university scientists. Sorghum360 More than 40 attendees were present for Sorghum360 on June 22, 2014, concurrent with the International Food Technologists Expo in New Orleans, La. The event consisted of a half-day education panel with appropriate topics, a cooking demonstration with applicable public relations efforts, and a meal preparation and demonstration conducted by the Iron Chef, Marc Forgione. Media in attendance included the Advocate, Baker’s Journal Annex, Bevnet, Food Safety Tech, Food Technology Magazine, GoNola.com, NOLA Vie, Times-Picayune and Travel Curious Often. The Advocate has already published an article related to the event. The Times-Picayune will publish a column about the event on Monday. Other articles are expected to follow. Click here for the Sorghum Checkoff article. Export Market Update Sales for the new marketing year – continue-. Sales for the 14/15 marking year starting in September were 50,000 mt (1.9 million bushels) for the week ending June 19. This brings the total for the current market year to 4.32 million metric tons (170 million bushels). For the new marketing year, the totals to date are 580,000 metric ton or 22.8 million bushels. USGC Mexico Meeting Recently Florentino Lopez, Doug Bice and Wayne Cleveland traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico for a USCG strategy meeting. USGC attendees consisted of Alvaro Cordero, Kurt Shultz, Julio Hernandez (Mexico director), Javier Chavez (Mexico representative) and Alejandro Gonzalez (Costa Rica representative). The meeting was intended to discuss a strategy in regard to logistics, pricing options, partnerships and financing mechanisms for Latin America, particularly Mexico. Mexico is, has been and will be a critical marketplace for sorghum into the future. Mexico continues to develop demand for coarse grains with a 22 percent increase within the last 10 years, and Lopez indicates this is only getting stronger. As for big picture takeaways pertaining to this visit, Lopez said the Sorghum Checkoff must lead the charge to keep sorghum in the forefront. The checkoff must continue to help in the development of

strategy for Latin America, Mexico is a critical market. Lopez indicated we cannot and should not overlook our role in strengthening sorghum's position in this marketplace. Agricultural Water Summit Justin Weinheimer and Shelee Padgett attended the 2014 Agricultural Water Summit hosted by the Texas Farm Bureau. Topics included assessing available tools and support to assist with water planning, quantifying agricultural water needs and developing strategies to address needs. There was also discussion on SWIFT rules and implementing ag strategies in the state water plan. Attendees of the event included Texas Water Development Board staff, State Conservation District staff, Texas Farm Bureau county staff, and commodity organization staff. The theme of the day was “give agriculture tools you can actually use, not make agriculture change to a program that doesn’t work for the region.” The Texas Water Development Board will host a series of listening sessions in San Antonio, San Angelo and Fort Worth, Texas in July and August. Leadership Sorghum Class II The Sorghum Checkoff announced the members of Leadership Sorghum Class II on June 30, 2014. Fifteen sorghum farmers from six different states have been selected to participate in the program’s second class. The class will begin the 15-month program in the Texas Panhandle in September. For a full listing of class members, visit the Sorghum Checkoff website. Nebraska Sorghum Producers Association Jesse McCurry attended the June board meeting at Pioneer Seed June 24, 2014, in Lincoln, Neb. The Nebraska Sorghum Producers Association heard reports from the Sorghum Checkoff, discussed Leadership Sorghum and upcoming variety plot tours. Dan Berning and Mat Habrock also shared highlights of DuPont Pioneer’s research plan and producer funded priorities. Field Visits in Central Kansas Jesse McCurry visited Tom Clayman and Dustin Miller at Midland Genetics/Kauffman Seeds near Haven, Kan. to learn more about their grain and forage sorghum breeding program. McCurry also visited MKC in Haven and met seed trait specialist Willie Swartz. Willie was interested in developments in Over-the-Top Weed control. In addition, McCurry visited the Hillsboro, Kan. area and met with Cooperative Grain and Supply and Countryside Feed LLC. Agronomist Brian Nickel observed “really good” seed sales within the last few weeks. McCurry is working to develop a small producer meeting in the area. Sorghum the Smart Choice Flags In an effort to continue our branding efforts, Sorghum the Smart Choice flags were ordered. One of which is proudly displayed outside of the office. The rest will be sent to key individuals in the industry to enhance co-branding. While supply is limited, suggestions as to where they should be sent can be emailed to faithj@sorghumcheckoff.com.

Sorghum Checkoff Project Reports April-June 2014 Sorghum Impact on Digestive Health

Program focus: High Value Markets

Lead PI: Nancy Turner

Status: Active

o Project summary: This study tests the theory that the bran component of grain sorghum

containing bioactive compounds will impact the distribution of bacteria in the colon.

This hypothesis will be tested against a test group inhibited with inflammatory bowel

disease. Bacterial populations within both test groups will be identified using DNA

sequencing methodology.

o Industry Impact: This study is a key step to supporting the potential health claim that

there is a dietary benefit of sorghum intake.

o Producer Impact: This research puts a greater emphasis on the bran component of

sorghum. Future hybridizing of sorghum types can focus on this element of producer's

planting efforts and provide an opportunity to expand a particular commercial market.

o Next Steps: Evaluate the concentrated DNA samples. Establish a DNA sequencing

methodology and then run statistical analyses. Initial focus will be on diseased animals

and healthy animals with sorghum intake will be compared against the data set.

Evaluation and Forward Determination of Sorghum in the Companion Animal Market Program focus: High Value Markets

Lead PI: JPZ

Status: Active

o Project summary: To meet the requirements of "Evaluation and Forward Determination

of Sorghum in the Companion Animal Market," JPZ attended the Pet Food Forum in

Chicago, IL. This is one of the major exhibitions, commercial application and networking

outreach efforts for this industry. Prior to the Expo, JPZ developed a client questionnaire

to be utilized at the forum. More than 20 industry professionals were interviewed.

Key points include:

1. Nutritional sustainability is a key consideration

2. Animal proteins have a much larger carbon footprint than non-animal proteins

3. Based on a significant obese pet population has an impact on pet food formulations

o Industry Impact: Through this data, market penetration opportunities for sorghum can

be identified as well as non-food related markets. Additionally, this allows for

connections to be made with key industry decision makers.

o Producer Impact: This will allow for market development as well as assist in identifying

specific hybrids to meet pet food nutrient requirements.

o Next Steps: Complete market research efforts and identify market opportunities to

pursue.

Enhancing Nitrogen Use Efficiency in New Mexico Program focus: Crop Improvement

Lead PI: Mark Marsalis

Status: Completed

o Project summary: A couple of inferences can be made from this two year study. The

results support the fact that sorghum is very effective at utilizing low amounts of soil

nitrogen in order to produce adequate yields, particularly on some soil types that may

be better equipped at releasing nitrogen to the plant, or when combined with other

environmental factors. A nitrogen response was observed at high nitrogen levels and

must be taken into consideration for high-input systems where high outputs are

expected (e.g., forage sorghum silage systems). However, acceptable yields may be

obtained with much lower amounts of nitrogen depending on goals and expectations.

Also, the response to a certain nitrogen level of grain and forage type sorghums appears

to be different, with forage sorghum perhaps slightly more resilient to lower nitrogen

levels. This study showed no strong advantage of any one type of application method.

However, there was a slight trend for coulter band treatments to be more consistent

with respect to yield. No clear advantage was shown with any of the nitrogen additives

across both years and crops.

o Industry Impact: The commercial grain sorghum industry relies on nitrogen fertilizer to

maintain grain production. Testing and developing new methods of application and

product development will allow the industry to grow by increasing the productivity of

grain sorghum acres. Additional environmental benefits, such as reducing nitrogen

leaching, will improve the production agricultural industry as a whole.

o Producer Impact: Reducing or managing input costs for sorghum farmers will lead to

higher profit potential per acre and translate to a stronger more robust industry.

o Next Steps: This project is complete.

Re-Instatement of the Sorghum Conversion Program Program focus: Crop Improvement

Lead PI: Fred Miller

Status: Completed

o Project Summary: Utilizing traditional breeding techniques and modern molecular

technology, MMR Genetics in collaboration with USDA-ARS developed new genetics for

the sorghum industry. This project, known as the "sorghum conversion program,"

provided a total of 144 new sorghum genetic lines to 15 private and public breeding

programs. These lines were sourced from germplasm from around the globe. The

conversion program worked to develop this germplasm so that it could be easily

incorporated into modern breeding programs. Additionally, advanced genetic

information was shared with the seed industry, which allows breeders to more easily

incorporate these genetics into highly productive sorghum hybrids.

o Industry Impact: The impact to industry is significant. The genetics produced from this

project have been made available to the sorghum seed industry for incorporation into

individual breeding programs. As of current, a total of 15 seed industry partners have

received this material for evaluation in their programs.

o Producer Impact: Since industry has such high involvement in this project, it is likely that

some of the material developed in this project will be incorporated into hybrid

production and made available to farmers. This will enhance their opportunities in the

field to become more profitable.

o Next Steps: This project is complete.

Consulting on Sorghum Chemicals and Genetics Program focus: Crop Improvement

Lead PI: Barney Bernstein

Status: Active

o Project Summary: Dr. Barney Bernstein is a consultant to the Sorghum Checkoff on

chemical and associated genetics in sorghum. Some of his accomplishments for this past

quarter include support for various needs of the crop improvement director as well as

discussions on real and potential GMO activities in sorghum. Bernstein also initiated

discussions with Stine regarding potential research activities in sorghum and has a

discussion with Pioneer on status of ALS and AAase resistant sorghum, herbicide

products, sorghum portfolio products.

o Industry Impact: The development and advancement of high-end genetics in sorghum is

critical. The project aimed to develop relationships and identify research areas which

will achieve higher producer profitability in sorghum.

o Producer Impact: Growers will benefit from long-term investments made in sorghum

genetics.

o Next Steps: Dr. Bernstein will continue to engage the agricultural industry and explore

opportunities to advance sorghum.

Marker Assisted Introgression of Cold Tolerance into Elite Sorghum Inbred Lines Program focus: Crop Improvement

Lead PI: Gebisa Ejeta

Status: Completed

o Project Summary: The goal of this project was to utilize DNA marker technology to

incorporate unique cold tolerant genetics found in China into modern parental lines to

be used in hybrid development. In total, eight hybrids were developed using these

methods, which contained advanced cold tolerance attributes. The seeds from these

hybrids were tested in cold temperature growing environments (15 degrees Celsius for

13 hour days and 10 degrees Celsius 11 hour nights) and then compared to traditional

grain sorghum genetics. The primary results of this project indicate there are some

consistent differences in cold tolerant genetics, particularly in seeding vigor in early

season temperatures.

o Industry Impact: Cold tolerant sorghums are vital for the sorghum industry to expand

and sustain increased production acreage in the U.S. and internationally, especially in a

number of European countries where cooler planting temperatures are the norm. New

hybrid cultivars for various classes of sorghums including grain, forage and biomass

require cold tolerance to promote efficient early season moisture utilization and take

advantage of a longer growing season for increased productivity.

o Producer Impact: Sorghum farmers will directly benefit from the cultivation of cultivars

with enhanced cold tolerance as they can plant earlier in the season by 2-3 weeks, and

take advantage of longer growing period to realize yield potential. Farmers and seed

producers can have new markets as possible expanded region of production could be

realized.

o Next Steps: This project is complete.

Using Buffered Enzymes to Improve the Value of Sorghum Distillers Grains Program focus: Renewables

Lead PI: Ted McCollum

Status: Complete

o Project Summary: Two experiments were conducted, one of which included 54 steers

being fed for an average of 161 days using three treatments. These treatments included

a control ration and two rations with added enzymes. One of the feed ration treatments

consisted of six cannulated steers being evaluated over a period of 21 days. Each ration

was comprised of steam-flaked corn, alfalfa, sorghum wet distillers grains with solubles,

limestone and supplements. The first experiment evaluated performance and carcass

characteristics. The second experiment evaluated enzyme digestibility. No

improvements in performance or digestibility were observed, although positive effects

on carcass characteristics were observed.

o Industry Impact: Industry impact will be positive, as more is now known about the

effects of treating sorghum distillers grains with enzymes on digestibility and steer

performance. More knowledge related to improving carcass characteristics could also

add significant value to industry.

o Producer Impact: With better understanding of these issues, feed yards will be able to

more effectively use sorghum distillers grains in rations. Long-term, this will add value to

the product and increase profitability for ethanol and sorghum producers.

o Next Steps: Next steps consist primarily of communicating the results to industry.

An Evaluation of Biofuel Feedstock Coproducts Compared to De-oiled Grains in Feedlot Cattle Diets: Effects on Cattle Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics

Program focus: Renewables

Lead PI: Sara Trojan

Status: Active

o Project Summary: This project will evaluate steer performance on six rations, including a

traditional steam-flaked corn ration and five distillers grains-based rations. One hundred

ninety-two steers will be fed in eight pens with four steers per pen. The cattle will be

weighed every 28 days and carcass data will be gathered at the end of the project. The

project is moving forward on schedule vis-à-vis the receiving date.

o Industry Impact: Industry impact could be significant, as the project will hopefully

continue adding positive information to the public dataset on the feeding value of

sorghum distillers grains.

o Producer Impact: Higher feeding value for sorghum distillers grains could lead to higher

prices and thus more value to ethanol producers grinding sorghum. This would have a

positive impact on sorghum basis in multiple areas of the Sorghum Belt.

o Next Steps: Finish the experiment and evaluate final results related to performance and

carcass characteristics.

Assessing Grant Funding Opportunities Program focus: Renewables

Lead PI: Doug Faulkner

Status: Active

o Project Summary: This agreement focuses on relationship building, information

dissemination and knowledge building related to the Department of Energy (DOE). Doug

Faulkner has great knowledge and a considerable network at this department, so his

assistance is instrumental.

o Industry Impact: Industry impact will be significant, as DOE now has investments in

areas beyond those traditionally associated with the department, including crop science

and agricultural systems. Understanding this work will be important for companies

themselves considering investments related to sorghum. With more knowledge of the

work, the Sorghum Checkoff will be better able to help them.

o Producer Impact: Producer impact will also be substantial, as the sorghum crops DOE is

working with, sweet and biomass, will be instrumental to the success of the entire

industry moving forward. Thus disseminating quality information on these crops will be

very important.

o Next Steps: Continue building relationships, disseminating information and building

knowledge related to DOE.