The Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association recently named Reed Middleton as the organization’s first Kansas Grain Sorghum Fellow.

In this role, Middleton’s talents will support efforts connecting sustainability to farm-oriented programming. This will include a scope of work with Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association (KGSPA) and National Sorghum Producers (NSP). Middleton will work directly with the staff of NSP to fulfill the requirements of the organization’s partnership with the Kansas office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Specifically, Middleton will work with sorghum farmers in central and western Kansas to collect information on and document sustainability practices.

“We are excited to welcome Reed to Kansas Sorghum,” said Jesse McCurry, Kansas Sorghum executive director. “With her strong background in agriculture and solid academic track record, we believe Reed will be a tremendous asset to sorghum farmers in Kansas. She is the first ever Kansas Grain Sorghum Fellow, and we know she will set the bar high for all future fellows and interns working on behalf of our farmers and their supporters throughout the sorghum supply chain.”

“Reed is a great addition to Team Sorghum,” added John Duff, NSP strategic business director and project lead for the partnership with NRCS. “Her passion and attention to detail will enable us to highlight the good work Kansas farmers are doing with regard to sustainability. We look forward to working with Reed along with Kansas Sorghum and Kansas State University to continue building the next generation of sorghum industry leaders in Kansas.”

Middleton is a sophomore at Kansas State University, where she is majoring in agricultural economics and global food systems leadership. She has worked in a number of settings, including on her family’s farm during the summers and harvest, and she is an active leader in the student community at Kansas State University. She will graduate in May 2022.