Western Plains Energy has been running both corn and sorghum as feedstock at its Oakley, Kansas, ethanol plant for 21 years. Derek Peine, CEO, says his team has learned how to process and use both feedstocks together without much change to daily operations.
From ethanol yield to feedstock costs to market access, sorghum (also referred to as milo) has and will continue to present opportunities, Peine says. “I think running sorghum at our plant is a true advantage.”
WPE isn’t alone in its continued belief in sorghum. Policy influencers and sorghum experts, including National Sorghum Producers, are showing growers and ethanol producers how and why the crop, now more than ever, can be a prime player in the evolving biofuels landscape centered on lowering carbon intensity scores. Across the country, regionally and nationally focused research labs are releasing new insights on topics ranging from better sorghum breeds to the crop’s suitability as a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock.
Producer Insights
The allure of using sorghum as a feedstock in ethanol production is directly linked to drought or low-moisture growing conditions. In arid regions like Kansas, sorghum is a consistent option for feedstock, and corn isn’t always available or economical—the feedstock mix varies considerably, depending on availability and price.
“The deciding factor is in the market conditions,” Peine says.
China sometimes has a strong influence on U.S. sorghum, which creates availability issues and price increases. During those times, Peine will use less sorghum, if possible. But other times, like this past year, sorghum is the only option. “This year, when the dryland corn burnt up, the sorghum bounced back,” he says.
Ultimately, WPE needs to be able to run both feedstocks at any given time. The feedstocks are commingled and not metered, with extra considerations for operation and enzymes.
Because the kernel size of sorghum is smaller than that of corn, the hammer mill screen must be tweaked. And although a basic enzyme package will work to break down the sorghum and corn mix, a more advanced cocktail option is preferred, Peine says.
With the proper considerations, the sorghum and corn mix doesn’t affect ethanol production yields. In the distillers grains market, the sorghum-based product is priced equally to a corn-based feed. WPE markets wet distillers grains to cattle feeders.
But sorghum must be handled differently than corn post-production, Peine says. Sorghum oil, unlike corn oil, will solidify at room temperature. So, once the sorghum oil goes through WPE’s evaporators, it enters heated oil tanks and heated storage tanks. Customers who utilize the sorghum oil understand the need for heat during transport, Peine says. Overall, sorghum oil yield is smaller than corn oil yield.
Product Differences
Sorghum isn’t valued equally in all markets or policy frameworks, Peine explains. Its CI-reduction value in California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, for example, is less than that of other feedstocks such as corn.
Through the 45Z tax credit configuration in place for 2025 to 2027, sorghum-based ethanol production through fermentation is on par with corn-based ethanol in its emission rate. Both will be granted the same tax credit value.
While Peine says his plant will always benefit from a more diverse feedstock mix, others running plants in areas with sorghum availability have differing viewpoints. Walt Wendland, president and CEO of Ringneck Energy near Onida, South Dakota, is certainly interested in policy and production-based advancements on the sorghum front, but he isn’t prioritizing adding the feedstock to his plant’s mix.
Because of the lower oil volumes available with sorghum-based ethanol production, combined with the uncertainty on sorghum as a recognized D3 RIN feedstock, Wendland says sorghum prices need to be at least 5% to 10% lower than corn to justify its use.
That doesn’t mean Wendland isn’t following sorghum. He’s particularly interested in ongoing research to test and prove ethanol production volumes from sorghum feedstock used in conjunction with second-generation ethanol or with new enzymes.
About a dozen U.S. ethanol plants use a corn/sorghum mix. There is potential for other plants to take advantage of sorghum, as 19 producers currently operate in Kansas, Colorado and Texas—states known for growing the drought-tolerant crop. In addition, some plants outside of the sorghum belt also run a corn/sorghum combination.
More Known, More Grown
In the past two years, biofuel-based sorghum research has explored everything from genetically modifying growth of the plant to enhancing the oil accumulation ability of certain varieties.
A study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign released last year outlined the feasibility of region-specific feedstocks for SAF. The research aimed to clarify the best options for producing the necessary feedstock to meet the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge, a goal aimed at making 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030 and 35 billion gallons by 2050.
After breaking down the U.S. into four feedstock producing areas based on rainfall—the Great Plains, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast—the researchers identified four main feedstock options that could be used to produce SAF: corn stover, miscanthus or switchgrass, and sorghum. In certain areas of the Great Plains, the researchers said sorghum provided the best option.
The DOE’s 2023 Billion Ton report outlining the feedstock resources available for bioenergy production in the U.S. notes roughly 3.5 million tons of sorghum are produced annually. The report also shows that grain sorghum accounted for the production of 76.7 million gallons worth of D6 RINs as of 2022, made from 1.7 million tons of grain sorghum. To date, most biofuel produced from the sorghum species is produced from the grain version. Specialty crops like sweet sorghum or energy sorghum are and can be grown specifically for bioenergy similar to miscanthus or switchgrass. The energy-specific varieties are being explored today.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences released research in 2024 looking into a new bioenergy sorghum opportunity: wax. Sorghum used for bioenergy feedstock produces high volumes of wax, and in some cases, the researchers believe up to 180 pounds of wax per acre can be produced from bioenergy sorghum.
“Bioenergy sorghum spent 50 million years surviving in Africa, in a very hot, dry environment,” said John Mullet, university distinguished professor in agricultural biology at Texas A&M. “To survive drought at high radiation levels, the sorghum adapted by secreting a lot of wax on the surfaces of leaves and stems.”
The research team is now looking at ways to characterize the production pathways of wax in sorghum and explore how it might be collected and later used as a value-added product.
At the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Bioenergy Institute, researchers are adding wheat genes into sorghum to improve its performance characteristics and further enhance its ability to tolerate conditions where precipitation is lower than annual evaporation levels.
A multi-organization research effort led by the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation lab—a DOE Bioenergy Research Center—is finding new ways to improve sorghum’s drought tolerance. Using tools to map out the full gene expression pathways in the plant, the CABBI research supports its theory that “plants are factories” and can deliver large amounts of lipids through better breeding and a more robust understanding of how the plant produces grain or oils.
Even in California, Great Valley Energy LLC played a part in assessing the feasibility of producing advanced biofuels and value-added coproducts using sweet sorghum. Great Valley Energy joined a three-part field trial for the California Energy Commission, testing five varieties and a fractionation process originally designed for sugar cane.
Different configurations were used to examine the resulting biofuel, biofuel intermediates and value-added coproducts. The best configuration produced an internal rate of return at 25.4%. That configuration produced a 20% sugar solution for over-the-fence fuel ethanol production, livestock forage/feed blendstock and for extraction and upgrading of nutraceuticals.
After reviewing all the growing, production and processing methods for sweet sorghum in the region, Great Valley Energy concluded that “sweet sorghum is a viable crop that grows well in California and provides reduced inputs and substantive sugar yields to have an advantageous carbon intensity compared to other crops for ethanol production,” adding that “several processing scenarios designed to add value to the rest of the sorghum stalk are technically feasible.”
Advancing The Sorghum Narrative
Matt Durler, managing director of National Sorghum Producers, has big goals for sorghum as it relates to biofuels in 2025. At the heart of those aspirations is to highlight the environmental and economic benefits of sorghum farming and position the crop as an indispensable part of the biofuels industry.
“The NSP is focused on connecting resilient farming practices to producing low-carbon ethanol,” Durler says. That involves helping growers and producers validate their unique farm-level carbon intensities and advancing efforts to monetize those practices at the global, federal, state and private fuel market level.
Durler and his team have made significant strides in the past year to advance the narrative and understanding of sorghum as an ethanol feedstock suitable for modern CI-driven policy frameworks, he says.
Multiple shipments of ISCC-certified sorghum ethanol have been exported worldwide, he says. International Sustainability and Carbon Certification is an independent, multi-stakeholder initiative created to support and certify fully traceable and sustainable supply chains.
The ISCC-certified shipments represent a significant milestone, Durler says, by demonstrating the ability of sorghum producers to meet rigorous farm data requirements. “Clearing this hurdle has opened the door for expanded domestic low-carbon fuel markets, adding value to the industry and ensuring sorghum’s relevance in ethanol production.”
The January release of 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit guidance also presents a transformative opportunity for the sorghum industry, he says.
“By providing a framework to quantify and reward resilient farming practices, the rule has the potential to reshape how farmers document and adopt sustainable methods,” Durler says.
Amy France, NSP chair and a sorghum farmer from Scott City, Kansas, says the guidance is positive for sorghum, as it is a recognized feedstock in the program. “However, critical gaps remain, particularly regarding the specifics of the greenhouse gases, regulated emissions GREET model and USDA’s guidance on climate-smart agricultural practices,” she says.
The enhanced value proposition for sorghum’s inclusion in 45Z is expected to drive greater adoption of the crop as a biofuel feedstock and expand opportunities for farmers, Durler says.
NSP has helped ensure that sorghum plays a vital role in the future of sustainable agriculture and biofuels. Through work with the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program administered through the USDA, NSP is helping to advance farm data collection needed to validate metrics required by low-carbon fuel markets. For sorghum, like many other biofuel feedstocks, traceability is almost as important as what the feedstock is, the NSP says.
Through a $65 million project, NSP is working with sorghum producers in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, in addition to tribal lands, to help expand markets for climate-smart sorghum. Part of the project’s purpose is to highlight climate-smart sorghum sold to ethanol companies for use in production and sale into the California fuel market. Archer Daniels Midland, Conestoga Energy Partners, Kansas Ethanol, Pratt Energy, Western Plains Energy and White Energy are all involved in the initiative. Enrolled sorghum producers have or will document their practices using a tracking and monitoring platform designed by Nestle and Danone. The list of climate-smart practices includes a variety of testing and monitoring methods deployed mainly by growers, ranging from soil health testing to irrigation water management.
Regardless of where, when or by whom sorghum is being used, NSP’s Durler sums up the organization’s stance: It will ensure “sorghum’s potential is recognized on a global stage.”
