More than 130 sorghum industry stakeholders gathered in San Antonio last week for Export Sorghum 2025, a conference focused on strengthening international trade relationships amid recent market challenges.
The event, organized by the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council in partnership with the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and Texas Grain Sorghum Producers Board, provided a platform for producers, exporters, international buyers, experts and government officials to network and develop business opportunities.
"Export Sorghum is always an important event on the industry calendar but with recent market challenges, it was particularly heartening to see strong customer interest at the meeting this year," said Stella Qian, USGBC director of global programs administration.
The two-day program featured presentations on market trends, sorghum grades and standards, sustainability, supply chain reliability and sorghum applications in animal feed. Speakers included USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke J. Lindberg, along with industry consultants, researchers and U.S. sorghum producers.
Day two was dedicated to structured business-to-business meetings, allowing international delegations to engage directly with 16 U.S. companies including ADM, The Andersons, Inc., and several agricultural cooperatives.
Following the conference, international teams traveled across the U.S. sorghum belt to visit ports, elevators, seed companies and farms.
"Export Sorghum 2025 proved the strength of collaboration across the sorghum industry," said Norma Ritz Johnson, USCP executive director. "By connecting producers, exporters and buyers in one place, we showcased sorghum's reliability, versatility and value in the global marketplace."
