At the 2023 National Association of Farm Broadcasters Washington Watch event in Washington D.C., Farm Director KC Sheperd got the chance to visit with the Chairman of National Sorghum Producers, Craig Meeker, about an update on all things sorghum.
Meeker said a relevant safety net for producers is going to be essential in the 2023 farm bill.
“We can’t put the safety net six inches off of the cement floor when we are thirty feet in the air,” Meeker said.
It will be critical that producers understand how the safety net works, Meeker said, and it needs to be predictable.
“I think we can do better by the taxpayer and by the producer if we have something like that,” Meeker said.
Federal crop insurance is another priority, Meeker said, as he believes it is the cornerstone of all risk management policies in all farm country. Without crop insurance, Meeker added, farming would be a lot more difficult.
As 75 percent of all acres of sorghum are no-till in the United States, Meeker said that without crop protection tools, no-till would not be possible.
“I can’t preserve the moisture in the soil that I have if I am having to till it,” Meeker said. “I have erosion from wind and water that I would be fighting if I couldn’t no-till, so it is a really good opportunity for me to be a better steward of the ground if I am able to use these crop protection tools as they are intended and when they need to be used.”
Sorghum is a resource-conserving crop, Meeker said, and excels in challenging conditions.
“Sorghum is a great crop,” Meeker said. “It works really well under limited irrigation, works very good in dryland, so there is a lot of things that we can do for the climate just because it is a resource-conserving crop.”
Regarding the drought, Meeker said each day is one day closer to good rain.
“Mother nature usually holds all the cards, and it is our job to do our part, and she will do her part when it is right,” Meeker said.
