Project Overview
Annual Reports
Information Products
Commodities
- Agronomic: sorghum (sweet)
Practices
- Production Systems: organic agriculture
Proposal abstract:
The Farm Breeding Club (FBC) fosters farmer-led participatory research, partnering farmer members with research agronomists, plant breeders, grain-handlers, processors, and end-users to expand farmers’ cropping options. Retired plant breeder and ND native, Matt Kolding, gave the FBC early-maturing, cold-tolerant lines of white sorghum. Traditionally a southern crop, sorghum is extremely drought and heat tolerant. It is a high-value, alternative gluten-free food grain, as well as a high protein livestock feed. Crop diversity is essential to managing soil health, pests, disease, weeds, and risk in the face of climate change. Sorghum adds a new warm season grain crop to farmers’ cropping options.
FBC farmers, NDSU research scientists, and processors will conduct three on-farm replicated variety trials (mother trials), two additional on-farm single-replicate trials (daughter trials), participatory evaluation field days, and milling tests of these cold-tolerant white sorghum lines. Four of the five farms hosting the variety trials and demonstration plots are certified organic; all of the farms are focused on sustainable regional production systems for value-added grains and seed.
Participating farmers, researchers, and processors will identify the white sorghum lines best-adapted to production in northern tier states, such as North Dakota, paired with desirable market and milling qualities, ensuring market acceptance.
Project objectives from proposal:
Objective 1: Evaluate 106 sorghum lines with known cold-tolerance traits for adaptation and performance in North Dakota.
Objective 2: Identify sorghum accessions with marketable milling qualities paired with agronomic performance in northern tier states.
Objective 3: Demonstrate the agronomic and market feasibility of white sorghum as an alternative crop option for northern growers.
Objective 4: Disseminate variety trial data and project results to prospective growers and potential markets.
Objective 5: Obtain funding for two more years of replicated variety trials, identifying and providing farmers, processors and consumers with seed for the most desirable sorghum accession.