What Sorghum Checkoff does

The United Sorghum Checkoff Program (d/b/a Sorghum Checkoff) is a producer-funded, USDA-authorized commodity checkoff organization established in 2008 and headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. It is governed by a 13-member board of producer representatives and funded through mandatory assessments on U.S. sorghum producers, with a staff of 11-50 operating nationally and selectively into international markets.

The organization's core function is research, promotion, and education for the U.S. sorghum industry, delivered through a web-based information platform (sorghumcheckoff.com), a supplier directory linking producers to domestic and international buyers, multilingual feeding guides, a 15-month Leadership Sorghum development program, and dedicated outreach to farmers, consumers, and industry end-users. Its proprietary technology and intellectual property rest on sorghum agronomy — positioning the crop as "The Resource Conserving Crop®" with a 30% water-usage advantage and approximately 1.5 trillion gallons of irrigation water savings per year — together with a multi-year research database covering genetic improvement, agronomic practices, end-use processing, and feeding trials across livestock, poultry, aquaculture, and pet food applications. Research is executed in partnership with Kansas State University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the U.S. Grains Council, and the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Sorghum and Millet.

Commercially, the organization does not sell products or services; its revenue mechanic is the statutory checkoff assessment collected from U.S. sorghum producers, overseen by USDA. Customer segments are bifurcated between the supply-side producers who fund the program and the demand-side end-users it cultivates — swine, beef, dairy, poultry, aquaculture, pet food, foodservice, and renewable energy buyers. GTM is community-led: staff located across the U.S. identify and develop expertise in key marketplaces, supported by content marketing, industry events (including the 2026 Global Sorghum Conference), the supplier directory, and the Leadership Sorghum program.

Name

Sorghum Checkoff

Legal name

United Sorghum Checkoff Program

Website

https://sorghumcheckoff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The United Sorghum Checkoff Program (Sorghum Checkoff) is a USDA-authorized, producer-funded commodity checkoff organization established in 2008 and headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. It funds research, promotion, and education for U.S. sorghum farmers, serving producer, consumer, and end-use industry audiences across feed, food, and renewables.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Checkoff and Research Services

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111), Postharvest Crop Activities (except Cotton Ginning) (115114)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Sorghum & Millet Farming (AFAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Agricultural research services
• Sorghum industry promotion
• Producer checkoff program
• Livestock feed research
• Crop sustainability education

Headquarters

HQ city

Lubbock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Checkoff Program Funding: The Sorghum Checkoff is a producer-funded organization (checkoff program) dedicated to improving the sorghum industry through research, promotion and education. Established in 2008.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The United Sorghum Checkoff Program is a producer-funded agricultural checkoff organization that conducts and funds research, promotion, and education for the U.S. sorghum industry. It produces research-based content and feeding guides for livestock, poultry, aquaculture and pet food applications, maintains a supplier directory connecting sorghum producers with domestic and international buyers, runs the Leadership Sorghum industry development program, and delivers consumer-facing content including nutrition information, recipes, and educator/health professional resources. It is funded by mandatory assessments on sorghum producers under USDA oversight.

Product overview

The Sorghum Checkoff operates as a producer-funded organization dedicated to improving the sorghum industry through research, promotion, and education. Established in 2008, the organization provides a comprehensive web platform with multiple resource categories: informational resources about sorghum grain for farmers (including grain production, forage production, agronomy insights, and economics), consumer-facing content (nutrition information, recipes, cooking tips, and health professional resources), industry applications (livestock feed for beef/dairy/swine/poultry, aquaculture feeds, pet food, foodservice, and renewable energy), sustainability documentation, and educational materials. The core products include the main information platform, a supplier directory connecting producers with buyers, the Leadership Sorghum development program, and extensive feeding guides and recipes. The organization positions sorghum as 'The Resource Conserving Crop' with documented water efficiency benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sorghum Checkoff Information Platform Central web platform offering information and resources about sorghum grain and forage across farmer, consumer, industry, sustainability and education audiences, including cultivation guidance, nutrition facts, recipes, and market information.
• Supplier Directory Searchable directory connecting U.S. sorghum producers with new markets and international buyers of grain, including producers, manufacturers and end users.
• Leadership Sorghum Program A 15-month leadership development program exposing participants to all aspects of the sorghum industry with personal development and networking opportunities, run by the Director of Emerging Markets & Grower Leader Development.
• Livestock Feed Research Resources Research-based feeding guides and educational materials for using sorghum in beef, dairy and swine production, including nutritional analysis and processing guidance in multiple languages.
• Poultry Feed Research Resources Technical resources and research on using U.S. grain sorghum as a feed ingredient for poultry production, including feeding guides and nutritional analysis.
• Aquaculture Feed Research Resources Research and resources on using U.S. grain sorghum as an ingredient in aquafeed for species including tilapia, shrimp, catfish, hybrid striped bass, rainbow trout and pangasius.
• Sorghum Recipes Collection Comprehensive consumer-facing recipe collection featuring sorghum in whole grain, flour, popped, syrup, and pearled forms, with dietary filtering including gluten-free and vegetarian options.
• Market Development Services Staff expertise and information on sorghum market opportunities across livestock, aquaculture, pet food, consumer, foodservice and renewable energy sectors, including international market development support.
• Sustainability Program Resources Program and resources documenting sorghum's environmental benefits including 30% less water use than other grains, irrigation water savings of 1.5 trillion gallons annually, and renewable energy applications.
• Educator Curriculum Resources Educational materials and curriculum resources for educators teaching about sorghum's cultivation, nutrition and uses.
• Health Professional Resources Nutrition research and dietary application resources for health professionals covering sorghum's health benefits, gluten-free properties and nutritional profile.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% less water required compared to other grains
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Grails CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnered with the U.S. Grains Council to conduct a two-year duck feeding trial to examine the use of sorghum in duck nutrition programs, aiming to access the Asian duck market.
• University of Arkansas at Pine BluffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for aquaculture feed studies examining the use of distiller dried grain with solubles (DDGS) from sorghum in shrimp feed production.
• USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab on Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet at Kansas State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged a global program on sorghum and millet with partners across nine different countries, linking U.S. teams with international teams across various areas of sorghum innovation including genetic improvement, agronomic practices and end-use processing.
• Kansas State University - IGP Institute, Department of Grain and Food SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration for processing sorghum for feed manufacturing and developing feeding guides for beef, dairy, swine and poultry industries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SorghumCheckoff
• Facebookfacebook.com/sorghumcheckoff

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sorghum Checkoff