cSmart looking to boost sorghum production by connecting investors with farmers

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - cSmart stands for the Collaborative Sorghum Marketing Transformation Program. It’s a new venture capital platform aimed at growing that industry. It includes anyone who can help sorghum, including researchers, investors, and new farmers.

“That [cSmart] comes alongside private investors looking to deploy investment capital in sorghum to make sure that that capital is deployed in a way that adds positive value for sorghum farmers,” a consultant for cSmart, John Duff, said.

Duff says the goal is to help new ideas get started that would benefit these producers.

“Any startup that would help sorghum is fair game on the table,” Duff said. “Whether that’s a food company looking to create demand for sorghum or whether that is a technology company looking to create a platform that helps sorghum farmers manage their farms better.”

It can also help anyone who wants to motivate sorghum farmers to use different practices for sustainability or climate reasons.

“They want to deploy that capital on to those farms to help with those management practice changes,” Duff said.

cSmart aims to help investors connect with farmers, and to guide them through the partnership.

“We’ll maintain that a network of private investors and leverage that network in order to deploy that private investment capital,” Duff said.

Duff says sorghum is an extremely important crop for the South Plains in need of investments that cSmart can bring. He says planting sorghum is a way to replenish the soil and give back to the Earth.

“It brings a whole lot back to the soil, which any West Texan knows we need more of these days with the sandstorms we had this Spring,” Duff said.

Duff is looking for any farmer, investor or innovator who has an idea that can add value to the sorghum industry. You can reach out to John Duff to apply at john@seroag.com or call him at (806) 638-5334.

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