Without USAID's Food for Peace, Kansas grain elevators have no market for sorghum

Food for Peace, also known as Public Law 480, is a 70-year-old foreign aid program with a Kansas legacy. It was inspired by a Kansas farmer, signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and later championed by U.S. Sen. Bob Dole.

Barnes said taxpayer dollars pay the American agriculture industry for the food that is used in foreign aid. The way the USAID program has worked is the government, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sends out a call for contract.

Sorghum is a popular crop in western Kansas. Because it requires less water to produce, it has been championed as part of the response to the ongoing depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer.

While Kansas may be better known for wheat and sunflowers, it is the nation's leading producer of sorghum. The USDA reports that Kansas produces 57% of the country's sorghum. Meanwhile, the U.S. is the world leader with 14% of global sorghum production.

In the United States, sorghum is primarily used for ethanol or livestock feed. Human consumption is more common internationally. Top export destinations include China, Mexico and Africa.

"If we can't get a chance to move this milo, the basis on milo is just going to deteriorate farther as we get into the future months," Barnes said. "Because if there's no place to go with it, we can't buy something that we can't get fair value on the other side."