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Don Bloss’ phone has been ringing more than usual lately.

He has been getting calls from grain merchandisers and younger farmers, and they all want to talk about the same thing -- sorghum.

Merchandisers want to buy it, and farmers want to know how he goes about growing it.

The ancient grain, also known as milo, is enjoying some time in the limelight thanks to strong demand from China and low corn prices.

This season, sorghum prices are set to beat out corn for the first time in eight years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently forecast the average sorghum price for 2014-15 neck-in-neck with corn at $3.20 to $3.80 a bushel.

Over the past decade, sorghum prices have averaged 6.4 percent lower than corn. The last time milo surged past corn was in 2006, according to the USDA.

China’s voracious appetite for the grain, which it uses mainly as livestock feed, stems from the country’s rejection of certain varieties of genetically modified corn, plus a lack of tariff rate quotas. There is no commercially available GMO sorghum.

Sorghum is naturally gluten-free and an important ingredient in many gluten-free foods. And it can be popped, like popcorn.