If you take a road trip through Minnesota during the growing season, it looks like many other parts of the Midwest—a sea of corn and soybeans. However, in 2014, my neck of the woods—Marty, Minnesota—had a field that looked a bit different. So different in fact, that many of my neighbors stopped and asked me what crop I was growing. That crop was grain sorghum.

I’ve always been willing and interested in trying new things and experimenting with different crops. Like most of my neighbors, the vast majority of my land is planted in corn and soybeans, but I also have numerous specialty crops, including edible beans, barley, rye, sweet corn, peas, alfalfa and sorghum.

That particular year I was looking for a crop to go on my marginal acres to replace small grains. I came up with sorghum based on information I gathered at Commodity Classic and other ag forums I attended. After some research, I had the confidence to start with an experimental 10 acres of grain sorghum.

Like most farmers, I was not going to plant a new crop unless I knew I could sell it. Knowing that sorghum is very comparable to corn in feed value, I twisted my neighbor’s arm to buy it for his dairy operation.

I work closely with the dairy operation with other commodities and believed sorghum would work because of its value and our plan to use it as a complimentary ingredient in the ration. While we faced some challenges incorporating sorghum into the feed mix, I had a successful harvest and was enthusiastic to continue growing sorghum.

Just a short year later I discovered a new market for my sorghum through various contacts I had made from the sorghum industry. A nearby bird seed manufacturer was excited to source locally grown sorghum. The company took a chance on me, and as they say, “the rest is history.”

Many of my family members farm, but I have built a completely separate operation from the family farm. Working as a certified crop adviser at Cold Spring Co-Op affords me the opportunity to be exposed to trainings and forums and allows me to share my experiences and successes with other farmers in my area.

On my own farm, I set out to find a crop to plant on my marginal ground, but in the process, I also increased my profitability by 25 percent by replacing small grains with sorghum. My experience with sorghum was so positive I began to recruit progressive farmers in my area that wanted to take their profits to the next level by growing a premium product for the bird seed manufacturer.

While I am willing to try new things production-wise, I am old school when it comes to social media. In 2015, Monsanto was running a Twitter campaign titled #MyFarmMyYield. Just like I twisted my neighbor’s arm to buy my first bushel of sorghum, our district salesman twisted my arm and set up a Twitter account for me.

Fast forward to later in the harvest season when I tweeted a photo with the hashtag #MiloinMinnesnowta. Well, this caught the eye of Kansas Sorghum Executive Director Jesse McCurry, and he encouraged me to apply for Leadership Sorghum, a program created by the Sorghum Checkoff.

As I was researching information about sorghum, I spoke with some of the members of Leadership Sorghum, and they shared a lot of great information with me. Applying for Leadership Sorghum seemed like the most logical next step for me to increase my knowledge of the crop and increase sorghum acres in central Minnesota.

Being a member of Leadership Sorghum Class III was a tremendous and worthwhile experience. I gained knowledge about the whole industry from seed production to export markets, but the most important thing I gained was a network of other farmers and industry professionals.

The program also taught me my strengths and weaknesses as you tend to learn a lot about yourself when working with others. Growing up on a farm, dining etiquette and putting an outfit together was not a top priority for me, but you must look the part in certain business meetings. I think it’s funny that before Leadership Sorghum, I never owned a suit. Now, I have five!

Through the leadership program, I could ask my class members questions and get immediate feedback and recommendations. What would have taken me a couple seasons to figure out and get up to speed happened quickly and came at a critical time. That connection hugely benefited my operation, but more importantly, it allowed me to pass that on to the people in my area. Although I completed the program in 2017, I continuously use my class members as a resource either via group text or by picking up the phone.

What have I learned in the six seasons growing sorghum in the north country through my own experiences and through others who have helped me along the way? Planting sorghum at a higher population, around 75,000-85,000 seeds per acre for non-irrigated acres, ensures achieving one good head and no tillers. We do not have enough time for tillers to mature.

A good majority of sorghum in the area is planted in 22-inch rows, which helps space plants out to utilize sunlight and provide a quicker canopy for weed control. I’ve also found planting a quality early variety is best so it will mature in time.

I’ve planted test plots a few years, and as you look at increasing toward a medium maturity sorghum, yields will plateau with the early varieties in a normal growing season. In shorter seasons, where a freeze comes early, the medium maturity sorghum does not mature and yield, and test weight falls off sharply.

This season I continue to change the landscape and interest in my area by planting more sorghum. With sorghum being such a beautiful crop in the field, I planted a mix of bronze and red sorghum varieties right along a busy state highway. As I expected, questions are coming, and this Minnesotan plans to share the sorghum knowledge I have while I continuing to diversify my operation.

 Joe farms grain sorghum, corn, soybeans, edible beans, barley, rye, sweet corn, peas and alfalfa near Marty, Minnesota. He is also a member and graduate of Leadership Sorghum Class III.

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This story originally appeared in the Fall 2019 Issue of Sorghum Grower magazine in the Sorghum Markets department.