LUBBOCK, TEXAS, U.S. — The National Sorghum Producers (NSP) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Kansas to sustainably produce sorghum.

“Sorghum farmers in Kansas and across the nation have long been good stewards of the environment around them,” said Tim Lust, chief executive officer (CEO) of the NSP. “Today, we will continue documenting this fact and work to understand how we can improve even more. With 74% of sorghum grown using conservation tillage and 91% receiving no supplemental irrigation water, improvement is a tall order, but we believe our farmers are up to the challenge.”

The partnership will be executed through a conservation collaboration grant that will document sorghum farmer practices to promote positive conservation outcomes and quantify the environmental footprint of the crop.

“One-third of the U.S. sorghum crop is used to produce fuel ethanol, which receives a premium for lower carbon intensity scores in certain markets,” Lust said. “This makes demonstrating sustainability and continuous improvement at the farm level extremely important. Fortunately, sustainability goals in fuel markets and conservation goals here at home go hand-in-hand, and we look forward to working with NRCS to further these goals and create additional opportunities for sorghum farmers.”