Sorghum belt of Texas felt impact of drought

Texas sorghum growers like the water sipping quality of the crop and still could feel the drought.

Nationwide, sorghum grain production in 2024 was estimated 344 million bushels, up 8% from the 2023 total, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The planted area for 2024 was estimated at 6.3 million acres, down 12% from 2023. Area harvested for grain, at 5.61 million acres, was down 8% from 2023. Grain yield was estimated at 61.3 bushels per acre, up 9.3 bushels from 2023.

In Texas, the nation’s No. 2 producer of sorghum, growers planted 1.45 million acres, which was a slight decrease from 2023, but still up from 2022 figures of 950,000 acres. Texas had a yield of 62 bushels per acre, which was up from 49 bushels per acre in 2023, and production for 2024 was 89.9 million bushels.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research conducts grain sorghum performance tests each year to provide growers in Texas with accurate and unbiased information on hybrid performance at locations across the state. Selection of superior hybrids that are well adapted for a given region is essential for maximizing yield and profit.

This year, three irrigated and five non-irrigated test sites were planted in the major production regions of Texas. Major grain sorghum production regions include the Western Gulf Coastal Plain, Southern Texas Plains, East Central Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies and High Plains. A total of 139 entries were evaluated across 10 locations, representing 29 unique hybrids from five commercial seed companies. Commercial seed companies enter hybrids into each trial location at their own discretion.

Performance trials are conducted by personnel from the Crop Testing Program, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and financed by fees collected from participating commercial seed companies. Test sites are on privately owned farms or at Texas A&M University AgriLife Research Centers.

All entries are randomized and replicated four times at each location. All test sites are managed according to practices common to each production region. Field maps and planting plans can be found at the link below shortly after planting. Following harvest, results are statistically analyzed and made available at: http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/grainsorghum/.

Results are available online at www.hpj.com.