As commodity prices continue to struggle, agricultural producers across Delmarva are exploring new ways to maintain profitability on their operations.
Grain sorghum has captured increased interest among local farmers in recent years, with many choosing to plant it on fields where traditional crops fail to generate adequate returns.
Although the majority of sorghum production occurs in the Great Plains states, this crop – sometimes referred to as milo – has historical roots in the Mid-Atlantic area.
Historical USDA records indicate that approximately one million acres of sorghum were cultivated along the eastern seaboard before genetically modified corn and soybeans became the dominant crops. While Delmarva states currently grow only a small portion of that historical amount, USDA data shows each state expanded sorghum acreage beyond their three-year averages last year.
Wicomico County producer Mike Harcum remembers university extension agents promoting sorghum during the late 1980s.
“They were pushing it as an alternative to corn then,” he said. “Everybody tried it.”
However, many farmers abandoned the crop due to various problems including weed management difficulties, disappointing yields, and harvesting complications. Harcum admits he typically plants sorghum reluctantly, mainly attempting to recover some value from fields destroyed by deer.
“We don’t put it on our best ground,” he said. “For me it’s a rotation thing. A lot of it’s got to do with the farm. Weather will dictate some of it.”
Industry experts report that prolonged low corn prices combined with escalating deer damage has driven farmers back to sorghum recently. Modern genetics have significantly improved compared to previous decades, enhancing both yields and crop management practices.
Tyler Franklin, who owns Elevated Ag Systems in Eastern Virginia, discusses sorghum with nearly every seed customer he visits. Franklin notes that current and projected commodity market conditions have producers considering every available option.
“If corn was $6, we wouldn’t be talking about it,” he said. “The demand is there, but that’s not the driver. The economics is pushing them along.”
Sorghum offers several advantages, including superior heat and drought resistance compared to corn, development of more extensive root systems, and the ability to reduce nematode populations that damage soybean crops. Farmers report it shows promise in double-cropping situations and typically generates substantial biomass that enhances soil organic matter. Despite improvements in genetics and management practices, its primary appeal remains its unpalatable nature to deer.
“In the last 10 years, deer have become such a problem on some places, you either plant milo or give up farming it,” Harcum said.
Steve Hurley, Harcum’s neighbor and experienced sorghum producer, cultivates between 300 and 400 acres annually. While initially adopting the crop to address deer damage, he has since invested in on-farm storage facilities and established contracts with birdseed manufacturing companies.
Hurley explains that they have conducted extensive experimentation with planting dates, seeding rates, and other management factors, as the crop’s limited regional acreage generates minimal local research compared to more common row crops.
“Every year you learn a little more,” Hurley said. “We’ve had to teach ourselves a lot over the last few years.”
Although sorghum requires less labor than corn production, Hurley emphasizes that planting it on marginal land doesn’t justify marginal management practices.
“There’s some potential,” Hurley said. “But if you treat it like a stepchild, it’ll pay you like a stepchild.”
Seed technology improvements have enhanced the situation through herbicide tolerance and hybrids specifically developed for Mid-Atlantic growing conditions.
Following a seven-year development process, Carolina Seed Systems introduced its Launch sorghum hybrid in 2019, featuring anthracnose resistance and high aphid tolerance, later releasing Launch 2.0 with genetic aphid resistance.
Company Founder and Chief Technology Officer Zach Brenton announced plans to release three additional hybrids next year with enhanced yield potential, while also developing herbicide tolerance traits.
Since 2021, Corteva, Advanta, and S&W Seed Company have introduced proprietary systems featuring herbicide-tolerant hybrids and specialized herbicide formulations enabling post-emergence grass control options.
Brenton reports that Carolina Seed System’s varieties are planted from Pennsylvania to Louisiana, with Maryland showing the fastest acreage growth. He advises farmers that sorghum deserves serious consideration in areas where corn consistently yields below 140 bushels per acre or soybeans produce less than 30 bushels per acre.
“Our biggest thing is profitability,” he said. “That’s the only way someone would change what they’re doing. They need to make more money.”
As a plant breeder, Brenton notes their sorghum focus places his company among a small national group, and an even smaller one in the Eastern United States.
“I joke that I’m one of the top 10 sorghum breeders in the country because there’s like eight of us left,” Brenton said.
Despite sorghum’s small acreage relative to corn and soybeans, Brenton claims their regionally-focused breeding program captures 60-70% of Delmarva’s sorghum acres.
“There’s no secret sauce, it’s because we breed and test here,” Brenton said. “Plant breeding is like a home field advantage. My germplasm doesn’t work in Kansas and there’s doesn’t work out here.”
With high corn input costs, planting sorghum at approximately half the expense on acres where corn performs poorly or suffers repeated deer damage has gained regional consideration.
Jarrett Hostetter, grain merchandiser at Hostetter Grain in Oxford, Pennsylvania, observed definite increased grower interest in the crop and expects this trend to continue. Two years ago, his company allocated bin space at their Cochranville facility for sorghum from Northern Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania producers, doubling capacity the following year.
“It’s more about providing a service for growers that grow the crop,” he said, noting most producers plant sorghum to address deer pressure. “The demand is definitely there. It’s been pretty consistent.”
Regional demand primarily comes from birdseed companies incorporating sorghum into their product mixes.
T.J. Collins, merchandising manager for Global Harvest Foods, which operates facilities in multiple states including Allentown, Pennsylvania, confirms significant Mid-Atlantic usage.
“It’s a very economical grain for us,” Collins said.
Collins reports that over half their national sorghum purchases supply Pennsylvania and Indiana facilities located near population centers. This proximity allows Global to offer premiums above corn prices, which sorghum typically follows.
“We can’t buy enough out in that area,” he said. “The more I can buy locally, the more I can back off on rail.”
Gary Wessner, merchandiser at Albrights Mill in Kempton, Pennsylvania, recalls that decades ago sorghum purchases were much more seasonal, but now he buys year-round.
“It’s more steady today and it does seem like it keeps growing,” he said.
However, farmers caution that advances and demand don’t make sorghum a guaranteed success. Planting on marginal ground affects yields. Weeds, aphids, and anthracnose remain potential problems. Harvest challenges, including slow dry-down and bird damage after maturity, add complications. Storage and transportation costs can reduce premiums offered by end users. Nevertheless, until deer damage is significantly controlled or corn markets return to profitable margins, sorghum remains a viable alternative.
“If we pick up the weaker acres, our overall profits increase,” Franklin said. “To me, that’s really where we need to start.”
