While attending NAFB’s Washington Watch, Farm Director KC Sheperd had to chance to visit with Amy France, National Sorghum Producers Chair. As the proclaimed voice of the sorghum industry, France and her team have been meeting with lawmakers and advocating for the needs of their members.
According to France, there is a lot on their list of requests from lawmakers. She detailed, “The farm bill has been pushed down the road far too long, so we need to make sure that we have an improved five-year farm bill. That has continued to be top of mind.”
Trade and President Trump’s tariff policies have also been a hot topic. She explained that eighty to ninety percent of the sorghum exported from the U.S. went to China, where trade has been halted. France indicated that she had spoken with Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, and suggested opening markets in India as a solution to the loss of trade with China for sorghum producers.
“Sorghum saw India on the radar, as have many other commodities, and have been working to build that relationship and educating them on how sorghum fits in India,” France said. “We recently did a trade mission to India in January and visited with the poultry sector. Whole grain sorghum can go straight into their ration. We can clear the non-GMO hurdle easily. Those poultry producers need sorghum, so that is our solution, and we are encouraged to hear that it is on the Secretary’s calendar.”
As one of the most water-efficient crops, sorghum has a strong voice for sustainability. “I live in Western Kansas, and we sit on top of the Ogallala Aquifer, and it is declining,” France said. “Where other commodities need a lot of water, sorghum is the water-sipping crop.”
The biggest challenges in the sorghum industry center around the outdated reference price in the farm bill currently being used, which was created in 2018. France said that farmers were in better financial shape to withstand the trade war of 2018 than they are in 2025.
She expressed concerns about the mental health of farmers under such circumstances. “That is something that needs to be brought to the conversation is what support do we have for our farmers in this tough time?” she queried. “Those are the things we continue to have conversations about and align ourselves with other groups that have that same focus, too. We have to keep our farmers farming, but we have to keep them moving as well.”
France herself grew up on the family farm, and her husband is a fourth-generation farmer, therefore, she understands the importance of family to farming operations. All of her efforts, and those of her team, at the Capitol center around ensuring a workable environment for the next generation of farmers.
