Modeling the Economic Feasibility of Sweet Sorghum in Western Kansas and the Panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma

Sweet sorghum is gaining attention as a potentially viable carbohydrate feedstock for ethanol production in the U.S. Sweet sorghum’s drought tolerance, low nutrient requirements, and high water use efficiency contribute to keeping production costs low. A computer simulation study is being conducted to help determine the agronomic and economic feasibility of growing sweet sorghum in select areas of western Kansas and panhandle areas of Oklahoma and Texas, including production on “marginal” soils. This study utilized actual yield data over several years in these locations to help guide crop yield simulations from five well-known crop models and establish a set of agronomic and environmental criteria to help determine the model that best represents actual “in-field” conditions. ALMANAC was chosen to simulate sweet sorghum production potential in the western areas of these three states. The management parameters and output biomass were analyzed to outline the cost and benefit parameters associated with production of sweet sorghum, especially on marginal acreages, as a bioenergy feedstock. The calibrated model results for Riley County, KS, were 27.63 Mg/ha for 2007 and 30.46 Mg/ha for 2008, which were close to actual average values of 27.60 Mg/ha (2007) and 32.00 Mg/ha (2008). Riley County marginal soil biomass yields were as high as 33.53 Mg/ha. These yield results were considered acceptable and provide confidence in applying ALMANAC to estimate crop yields for the rest of the region.