Export sales of U.S. sorghum hit a single week record this month of more than 33.9 million bushels with almost all of it heading to China. That shatters the previous record set in August 2020 by more than 10 million bushels. In addition, new sales commitments of 33.8 million bushels, predominantly purchased by China, also topped the previous record for weekly sorghum sales of 32 million bushels, also set in August 2020.

National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said, “U.S. sorghum exports continue to signal very strong demand for our crop, and new purchases at this level only reaffirm that.”

New crop purchases of U.S. sorghum for this point in marketing year are also at a record level, reaching 40 million bushels this past week—a 264 percent increase from the previous record set in 2014. These new crop purchases are significant, particularly in the wake of a + $5 Dec 2021 Chicago Board of Trade price.

“This is the strongest new crop demand we have ever seen at this time in the season,” Lust said. “Availability is so scarce that the sorghum crop being planted now is being marketed at the same time, and farmers have not even started planting in Kansas yet. This sends a strong demand signal to U.S. sorghum producers from our international customers, and we look forward to getting the 2021 crop in the ground.”

Lust comments:
National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust discusses record sales 1:29