For more information, contact:
Maddy Meier
Senior Director of Communications
Kansas Grain Sorghum
maddy[at]ksgrainsorghum.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission Budget Sets Stage For 2026 Priorities
MANHATTAN, Kan. (Sept. 4, 2025) –The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission (Commission) met in Manhattan, Kansas, on August 26 to approve funding allocations for its Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which begins October 1. The Commission, led by Chairman Brant Peterson of Stanton County, approved $1,564,912.00 to invest in strategic portfolios for sorghum research, domestic and foreign market development, farmer and consumer education, and sorghum crop promotion.
“This has been an especially tough year for sorghum growers,” said Chairman Peterson. “As the Commission continues to hear from many in the industry about current market dynamics, we remain focused and determined to enhance profitability for Kansas farmers. Through our investments, our organization is working to diversify demand domestically and abroad. Sorghum can meet both the market and agronomic needs of Kansas farms, like mine in Southwest Kansas, and the Commission continues to invest in market outcomes to help conserve water, such as updating sorghum processing options to support livestock feeding and collecting data to exhibit sorghum’s ability to extend and preserve the High Plains Aquifer.”
Peterson continued: “The Commission is working hard to remedy the short-term issues while keeping an eye on the many opportunities the future will bring. Our 2026 budget reflects the Commission’s steadfast commitment to strengthening the sorghum industry in Kansas.”
The funding allocations for the Commission’s upcoming fiscal year, which will run from Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026, are outlined as follows:
- Research: $853,946.00
- Market Development: $195,701.00
- Information, Communications, and Education: $260,265.00
- Administration, Program Development, and Supporting Services: $255,000.00
Also in the Commission’s budget cycle, the board of directors approved its final installment to complete its initial $2 million obligation in support of the Collaborative Sorghum Investment Program (CSIP), initiated in 2016. CSIP is a transformative program housed in Kansas that leverages farmers’ dollars with matching funds to deliver rapid genetic improvement in sorghum back to farms.
“Our partnership with CSIP is a testament to what is possible in sorghum crop improvement,” said Adam York, Commission administrator. “Recently, Kansas sorghum leaders on the Commission completed the final installment of the $200,000 investment that their predecessors envisioned for CSIP 1.0 back in 2016. That foundational support has now paved the way for the next decade of CSIP 2.0, and we worked hard to secure millions in additional funds to accelerate the program and enable advanced sorghum research through 2036 and beyond. CSIP is a proven concept, which has turned into a game-changer for the U.S. sorghum industry centered here in Kansas, allowing growers to continue to build on past successes and drive future innovation.”
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The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission is committed to sorghum promotion, research, and information designed to strengthen, expand, and develop new foreign and domestic markets for sorghum.
