Four new Board directors, recently appointed by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP), were sworn in during the Sorghum Checkoff's annual December meeting. Additionally, two producers began their second terms, having been reappointed to their roles by Secretary Vilsack. The Board also elected Kendall Hodgson of Little River, Kansas, as the Chairman for 2024.

“I am honored to lead this organization into a new era of growth and innovation,” newly elected USCP chairman Kendall Hodgson said. “Sorghum is a crop with incredible potential, and I am excited to work alongside our leaders and producers to further elevate its impact. Together, we will cultivate opportunities, foster sustainable growth and strengthen the sorghum industry.”

The newly elected USCP Executive Committee and newly appointed Board Directors include:

• Chairman - Kendall Hodgson, Little River, Kansas
• Vice Chairman - Ethan Miller, Columbia, Missouri
• Treasurer - Kim Baldwin, Inman, Kansas
• Secretary - Zack Rendel, Miami, Oklahoma
• At-Large Member - James Jay Haase, Eads, Colorado
• At-Large Member - Ethan J. Miller, Columbia, Missouri
• At-Large Member - Tracy Zink, Indianola, Nebraska
• Kansas Member - David K. Schemm, Sharon Springs, Kansas
• Texas Member - Brian Adamek, Victoria, Texas
• Texas Member - Scott Irlbeck, Lubbock, Texas (2-Year Term)

“Amidst the challenges of the persisting drought, innovation thrives in the heart of challenges,” USCP Executive Director Norma Ritz Johnson said. “We are ecstatic that this group of producers and board members embody the resilience that will steer the sorghum industry towards a horizon of groundbreaking possibilities.”

Five of the newly appointed or reappointed directors to the Board will serve three-year terms and one member will serve a two-year term. The terms of the members appointed to three-year terms start December 2023 and end December 2026. The term of the member appointed to a two-year term starts immediately and ends in December 2025.

The 13-member USCP board is composed of nine sorghum farmers who represent the three states with the largest sorghum production – Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas – and four at-large national representatives.