When farmers told me in late fall of 1978 that they could not get any price, $0.00, for their white proso, I knew the U.S. was on the verge of losing proso as an alternative crop. Therefore, my best alternative was to replace Argentina's dull colored "Yellow Plata" with U.S. white proso in the export market at Argentine prices. After a couple years, there was no incentive for Argentine farmers to plant their proso. Their market died. How? See Table 35 page 76 (below) of my book Proso Millet: A Trade Summary. 1979 Showed record percentage as exports which were accumulated from 1977, 1978, and 1979 production. Since a white proso export market was established in 1979, exporters and foreign importers created demand allowing U.S. farmers to produce for what became an established market.
See figure 15 page 79 which explains that farmers, nor buyers, knew that U.S. excess millet supplies had been lowered significantly. As a result, farmers planted little proso in 1980. When buyers for exporters in the fall of 1980 realized they could not fill contracts, the price shot up. That had to happen in order to perpetuate production thereafter. (Remember, it was the fall of 1983, as a grain terminal market manager,that I accumulated and exported the first and only unit train of U.S. proso.)
My drive to develop proso millet market links, did so much damage to Argentine production that growers and exporters lost incentive. Their market died. The same thing can happen in any country on any crop!
Here is publicly available information from Millet Production in Argentina - Markets, Suppliers and Exporters (selinawamucii.com).
I am happy that you and others in NAMA are realizing the importance of millets as a U.S. crop rotation alternative.....Gary