Sorghum growers dealt with numerous issues
Similar to other spring-planted crops, Kansas sorghum growers dealt with a variety of weather patterns, according to the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service.
All three months of meteorological spring (March, April and May) averaged above normal in all divisions. It was the second warmest spring on record in southeast Kansas, the third warmest in east central and the sixth warmest in northeast Kansas. The average temperature in the summer months of June, July and August was slightly less than 1 degree Fahrenheit above normal in the state, thanks in part to a colder-than-normal July.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sorghum production in 2024 was estimated 344 million bushels, up 8% from the 2023 total. Planted area for 2024 was estimated at 6.3 million acres, down 12% from 2023. The 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.
Kansas farmers harvested 2.8 million acres with a yield of 65 bushels per acre and produced 182 million bushels.
Autumn was very warm, and the combined months of September, October and November ranked as the fourth warmest meteorological fall in the state, according to K-State.
While annual precipitation averaged below normal in 2024, it was Kansas’ wettest year since 2019. 2024 was the fifth consecutive year with below-normal precipitation, but the total was closer to normal than in the previous four years.
The state’s average precipitation for 2024 was 27.38 inches, or 1.62 inches below the normal amount of 29.0 inches. Only two divisions were above normal for the year: southwest (departure +0.90 inches) and west central (+0.20 inches) Kansas. Northeast Kansas was close to normal, finishing 2024 less than one-quarter inch below normal (-0.21 inches).
Diseases
The most important and prevalent diseases of 2024 were stalk rots, depending on the growing location. Fusarium stalk rot would have given the lower nodes of the plant a tan discoloration; Gibberella stalk rot would have a reddish-brown or purple discoloration; and charcoal stalk rot had a grayish-brown discoloration.
Fusarium and Gibberella stalk rots occur in dry conditions early in the season and warm, wet weather two to three weeks after pollination. Charcoal stalk rot occurs when soils are dry and temperatures are high; it is not caused by drought, but the plants are weakened and more susceptible to charcoal stalk rot in drought conditions. Lodging caused by stalk rot was reported at most of the performance trial sites.
Insects
Chinch bugs have historically affected corn, wheat, turf and grass, but the pest has been especially prevalent in sorghum. The western two-thirds of Kansas has usually been affected the most. This was certainly true in 2024. The recent weather patterns of early, relatively hot and dry conditions in mid-April to mid-May may be good to help mature and dry down wheat; however, these conditions have proven problematic with seedling sorghum development while under chinch bug attack.
Drought stress plus chinch bug feeding has played havoc with early-season plant stands. The chinch bugs don’t go away but continue to feed and reproduce at the base of plants, further stressing plants to the point that many fields have lodged plants due to the combination of chinch bug feeding and drought stress.
Sugarcane aphids (sorghum aphids) continued to migrate into the state from mid-July until harvest, but no large-scale problems were noted, according to Jeff Whitworth with the Kansas State University Department of Entomology.
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PHOTO: Golden Milo Field with dramatic morning sunrise skyscape. (iStock │ #172432141 – Quirex)
