MANHATTAN, KANSAS, US — Efforts by the Collaborative Sorghum Investment Program (CSIP) to develop a more sustainable, resilient and valuable crop have resulted in a $1 million public commitment from the state of Kansas that will secure significant additional matching funds.

Launched in 2016, CSIP is the US sorghum industry’s cornerstone sorghum improvement platform housed at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, and in collaboration with the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

In an April 14 announcement, the Kansas Sorghum Producers Association (KSP) said the state will provide CSIP the funds through an appropriation in its fiscal 2026 budget as a strategic water-smart crop in the next State Water Plan. This public investment further unlocks a funding match made possible by the United Sorghum Checkoff Program and the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, for a total of $5.8 million in foundational support to continue and accelerate the program through 2036.

“In 2016, the US sorghum industry made a statement by headquartering CSIP in Kansas, the state which leads the nation in sorghum production,” said Shane Ohlde, a farmer and president of KSP, which led the state funding effort. “Now, with CSIP as a proven investment model, the state of Kansas has responded with its own strong statement to double down on sorghum to advance the state’s economic and water-saving goals in tandem.”

Key initiatives of CSIP include the identification of seed traits that improve yield potential under water limitation, development of value-based traits such as novel protein or starch traits, and resistance to pests such as sugar cane aphid. CSIP-enabled genetic marker traits currently are utilized in the development of over half of industry hybrids, according to KSP.