United States Department of Agriculture’s January Feed Outlook raised the stakes for the U.S. sorghum market: 2025/26 production is forecast at 437 million bushels, up 27% from the prior year, while the season-average farm price was cut 10 cents to $3.70 a bushel, the lowest since 2019/20. The move matters now because it sets expectations for a looser supply-and-price backdrop into the marketing year, hitting Plains growers first while offering feed buyers a cheaper grain option.
The production jump is primarily tied to more harvested acres. USDA attributed the increase to an additional 305,000 harvested acres concentrated in Texas and Kansas, the states that anchor U.S. sorghum supply.
The pricing picture is already visible in the cash market. On Jan. 12, USDA cited Texas elevator prices ranging from $3.06 to $3.91 a bushel, a band consistent with the agency’s lowered season-average price outlook and underscoring the pressure abundant supplies are putting on bids.
For livestock feeders and feed mills, higher production combined with lower prices increases the potential attractiveness of sorghum as a feed-grain alternative. For producers, the same combination intensifies marketing pressure, particularly in the areas driving the acreage expansion.
