The USDA Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) began collecting the national sorghum checkoff July 1.The assessment is based on 0.6 percent of the value of the crop, or about 3.4 cents per bushel at current prices.

    Money collected from the national checkoff is sent to the national board that will send between 15 and 25 percent back to the state. The remainder will be used to fund sorghum research and promotion at the national level as well as the national board. 

   “We hope to see a National Sorghum Board established by November,” said Matt King, wheat and feed grain division coordinator for Arkansas Farm Bureau.

    The board will be comprised of 13 members: five from the largest-producing state, three from the second-largest, one from the third-largest, and four at-large members from around the country.

   Certified state organizations will submit names to the Secretary of Agriculture for appointment to the board.

   The producer referendum for this checkoff will not occur until three years after implementation of the national checkoff.

    Producers can submit requests for refunds; however, refunds will only be distributed upon failure of the referendum.

   The national checkoff does not preclude the collection of a state checkoff. Until state legislative action is taken, Arkansas will continue to collect its state checkoff. 

   Additionally, Arkansas will not collect the national checkoff as they do not have legal authority to do so; therefore, the national checkoff will be sent directly to USDA/AMS.

    Grain elevator operators looking for information about remitting the nationalcheckoff should contact Craig Shackelford, agricultural marketing specialist with the USDA, at 202-720-1123 or craig.shackelford@usda.gov

   The National Sorghum Checkoff was initially proposed in 2006, by the National Sorghum Producers (NSP), under the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act.

    In the past, this act has been used to create checkoffs for blueberries, mangos, lambs and other commodities. After reviewing NSP’s proposal, USDA/AMS put the proposal out for public comment in late 2007. There were some 215 comments submitted, with more than 80 percent supporting the checkoff. Arkansas submitted the most comments in opposition to the checkoff.  Many producers and organizations feel the proposal is unfairly weighted in favor of the largest producing states.