LUBBOCK, TEXAS, US — The United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) board elected Kendall Hodgson of Little River, Kansas, US, as its 2024 chairman during the board’s annual meeting December meeting, when it also swore in four new directors and two beginning their second term.

“I am honored to lead this organization into a new era of growth and innovation,” 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 are Hodgson, chairman; Ethan Miller, vice chairman, Columbia, Missouri, US; Kim Baldwin, treasurer, Inman, Kansas; Zack Rendel, secretary, Miami, Oklahoma, US; James Jay Haase, at-large, Eads, Colorado, US; Ethan J. Miller, at-large, Columbia, Missouri, US; Tracy Zink, at-large, Indianola, Nebraska, US; David K. Schemm, Kansas member, Sharon Springs, Kansas, US; Brian Adamek, Texas member, Victoria, Texas, US; and Scott Irlbeck, Texas member (two-year term), Lubbock, Texas, US.

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