Omaha, Nebraska- Since reporting on the last American Grain Popularity Index (AGPI) survey in 2007, not much has changed for the beleaguered sorghum industry. The ten-year survey, an assessment of attitudes towards and frequency of use of various grains sent to all children ages 9 to 13 years living in the United States, has once again revealed sorghum to be the least popular cereal crop among preteens and adolescents. In contrast to it's rock bottom popularity in the U.S. however, sorghum continues to be an extremely important cereal crop internationally, with over 440,000 square kilometers devoted to its production.
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| Even Anne Hathaway, shown here filming an ad for sorghum's "It Probably Tastes Fine!" campaign, wasn't able to boost its sagging popularity among tweens |
"Let's just say that the sorghum industry did not see this coming," recently elected Sorghum Council representative Anderson Sawyer explained. "It's disheartening to see all of our hard work, not to mention the monetary investment, fail so completely. It's time to regroup and come up with a fresh approach."
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Déjà vu for the sorghum industry as once again experts in the field of marketing and crop psychology are claiming that a complete retooling of the grain's image is necessary to improve mind and market share. Grain analyst Null Smith is skeptical that it will ever be possible for sorghum to compete with leaders in preadolescent popularity like buckwheat and millet, or even with spelt, a surprising newcomer to the top five most popular whole grains. "They are going to need something big. I'm talking Adele announcing that she gargles sorghum syrup to soothe her sore throat. Or maybe a sex tape with what's his name. The guy with the hair. You know, the black one."
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