Bamberg County Hosts Grain Sorghum Production Meeting for 2026 Growers

Grain sorghum producers, extension agents, and agribusiness professionals met Tuesday morning at 847 Calhoun Street in Bamberg for a production-focused informational session designed to help growers prepare for the 2026 crop year.

The meeting, which began at 10:30 a.m. on March 10, brought together participants with a shared interest in grain sorghum production across the region. The Calhoun Street location placed the gathering at the heart of Bamberg County, a rural community where row crop agriculture remains central to the local economy.

Grain sorghum has drawn renewed attention from South Carolina producers in recent years as a drought-tolerant alternative to corn, particularly on the lighter, sandier soils common across the Coastal Plain. The crop requires less water input and generally carries lower production costs, making it an attractive option for growers managing tight margins in a volatile commodity market.

Sessions of this kind typically cover variety selection, pest and disease management, fertility programs, and marketing options, giving producers the technical grounding needed to make informed planting decisions ahead of spring. Extension agents play a key role in translating university research into on-farm practice, and their presence at the Bamberg meeting reflected the collaborative model that Clemson Extension has long maintained with county producers.

For Bamberg County's agricultural community, the timing of the March 10 meeting aligned closely with the planning window before sorghum planting typically begins in the county, generally running from late April into May depending on soil temperatures and field conditions.