Shifting cotton acreage may be affecting sorghum seed supply

James Hinton, a Floyd County, Texas farmer, posted the following today on Barry Bean's Cotton List. Floyd County is in the southern Panhandle.

I went to my seed dealer on Friday to book my normal amount of grain sorghum seed and sorghum sudangrass seed. He told me that the popular varieties of seed are getting scarce. One variety I wanted was gone. The sorghum sudangrass that I like to plant is only available at a 70% germ.

There may be some ground that was shifting to sorghum from cotton intentions that may not be shifted after all. If there is a real shortage of sorghum seed, it could pose a problem for growers who lose acres to storms and want to plant a catch crop.

The other indication is there are a lot of acres going into sorghum.

By the way, if you're unfamiliar with Barry Bean's list, it's a list server that brings together cotton growers, brokers, Extension workers and others involved in production and marketing.

To join Barry Bean's Cotton List (known as (Cotton-L"), click here.

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