FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Add a short headline
Use this space to provide your website visitors with a brief description on what to expect before clicking on a section title.
Farmers do not have to take any action. The total volume allocation of sustainable sorghum eligible for participation under the SSAP will be determined by multiplying the total acres participating in Farm Service Agency programs that require Conservation Compliance by the average sorghum yield per acre for a given Marketing Year. A mass-balance sourcing approach keeps accounting of qualifying and non-qualifying volumes separate.
No. Farmers, sorghum exporters, importers, and end-users will not incur any cost from registering, using the platform, or issuing Records of Sustainability. The U.S. Grains Council offers this tool free of charge to facilitate sorghum trade and enable U.S. farmers to communicate their commitment to sustainable production practices.
The Sorghum Sustainability Assurance Protocol helps U.S. farmers and exporters provide international supply chain stakeholders with a baseline commitment to continuous improvement in sorghum production practices, and address sustainability requirements and procurement guidelines demanded by customers, companies, or regulators.
The SSAP is operationalized through the Sustainable Sorghum Exports web-based platform, with registered users including U.S. sorghum exporters, international importers, and supply chain customers. Exporters can issue shipment-specific Records of Sustainability to validate their cargo as part of the global allocation of sustainable U.S. sorghum, transfer those records to importers, who can sub-allocate volumes to their supply chain customers.
The SSAP is complementary to existing sustainability tools and frameworks. It aligns with the National Sorghum Producers sustainability goals and uses the Field to Market methodological framework to track environmental impact trends. Its value derives from being a farmer-led initiative to engage international customers on sustainable sorghum production, geared towards facilitating trade through clear and open communication.
The SSAP aligns with the National Sorghum Producers Sustainability Commitment: U.S. sorghum farmers are committed to continuous improvement in the production of sorghum, a versatile crop providing abundant high-quality food, feed, renewable energy, biobased products, and ecosystem services. As stewards of the land, they understand the responsibility for creating a more environmentally and economically sustainable world for future generations with transparency and through continued advances and efficiencies in land, water, and energy use.
Each Marketing Year, Sustainable Sorghum Exports defines the total volume by multiplying (1) the total acres participating in FSA programs requiring Conservation Compliance, and (2) the average sorghum yield per acre for a given Marketing Year. A mass-balance sourcing approach keeps qualifying and non-qualifying volumes tracked separately.
Mass balance is a sourcing method that allows certified and non-certified ingredients to become mixed during shipping and manufacturing processes.
FSA Conservation Compliance is included as a key criterion given its broad scope and coverage of farmland in the U.S. These programs are the most widely-encompassing, public-led, on-farm verification mechanism to guarantee basic soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitats. The Food Security Act of 1985 requires producers in most FSA and NRCS programs to abide by conditions on highly erodible land or wetlands. Under HEL conservation, farmers producing annually tilled crops on highly erodible land must implement a USDA-approved conservation plan.
U.S. farming encompasses diverse soils, climates, rainfall, topography, and geology, so there are no all-encompassing practices or policies. Policies are driven through coordination between federal, state, and local regulators and policymakers, who work with individual farmers, communities, and associations to define and implement production practices aligned with environmental and economic sustainability.