The National Sorghum Producers today announced that Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas has secured $1 million dollars in research funding for the Great Plains Sorghum Improvement and Utilization Initiative, a joint sorghum research initiative between Kansas State University, Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University. NSP has worked closely with Senator Brownback to ensure the Initiative remained a viable project, capable of delivering meaningful results to producers’ fields as it has in the past.

“Senator Brownback has proven himself a real champion for this industry through his dedication to making sure this research project was funded,” said Ken Georg of Sabetha, Kansas, a member of the NSP Board of Directors. “This is a huge victory for sorghum producers, not just in Brownback’s home state of Kansas, but nationwide. This funding will provide new breakthroughs in sorghum research that will deliver better supply and demand modeling, new uses and agronomic solutions to producers’ fields.”

In cooperation with one another, the three universities will use the funding to work on plant breeding and genetic improvement, new uses, economics, education, plant stress, and agronomic issues including water use and weed control.

Senator Brownback, Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee, championed the funding in the appropriations legislation that passed out of committee today. The federally appropriated funds available to the Initiative will almost double over last year’s funding, bringing the project from $552,000 up to $1 million.

NSP represents U.S. sorghum producers. The organization serves as the voice of the sorghum industry coast to coast through legislative representation, regulatory representation, and education. To learn more about NSP, visit www.sorghumgrowers.com.