Nebraska Sorghum Official Discusses the Crop’s Economic Impact

By Dale Johnson

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s 2025 Impact Forum was held this week in Washington D.C., giving Nebraska sorghum producers an opportunity to talk about global markets, food security and global investments that directly impact Nebraska's agricultural economy. Nate Blum, CEO of the Sorghum United Foundation, was the leading voice for Nebraska sorghum producers. Nebraska Public Media’s Dale Johnson caught up with him after the forum.

Nate Blum: With these conversations for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, it was less about the tariff policies, and it was more about the importance of projecting soft power through foreign aid programs and diplomacy. So two different conversations there. Nebraska is the fifth largest producer of sorghum in the U.S. But the important thing to remember is that those markets are typically artificially held down anyway, because China buys 93% of U.S. sorghum, so they typically are able to dictate that price.

Dale Johnson: You've used a term that I'm not familiar with, soft power. What does that mean?

Blum: Well, Soft power is actually probably more important than our hard power. The thing with soft power is that we think about diplomacy, we think about food aid, we think about economic development. These are tools which allow us, as Americans and as a country, or any country really, to project their influence through assistance, aid and prosperous development. And this creates friends, in addition to not just, not just projects, not just helping people, but it allows us to extend our influence within a region without having to resort to military force. And quite frankly, it does so in a way that it lifts up that region so that they can then project those same values that we've shown them.