A recent article by Dr. Om Dangi and Dr. Khizer Baig in the Canadian
weekly, Ontario Farmer, discusses the status and potential of sorghum and
pearl millet in Canada. Entitled "A new acreage conversation with two older
crops," it references work of the authors with their organization, Agriculture
Environmental Renewal Canada (AERC).
The full article can be read on Press Reader at
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/ontario-farmer/20260929/282007564313102
. I was unable to find a page with the article on the Ontario Farmer site,
https://www.ontariofarmer.com/
I'm also copying the full article below for the readers of Collab per fair
use. In this copy, I fixed a few paragraph break issues from the original.
This is an excellent article, and worth your time.
Thanks to Dr. Dangi for bringing this to our attention, and to AERC for
its continued work on these crops. Collab readers will recall that Dr.
Dangi presented on his work with pearl millet in the NAMA Millets Webinar
in 17 April 2025: https://youtu.be/MtYL3MUquRA?si=FVi81pkMDn_PGpCh
Don Osborn, PhD
(East Lansing, MI, US)
North American Millets Alliance
======== Full text of the article (minor edits to formatting) ========
*"A new acreage conversation with two older crops"*
BY Dr. Om P. Dangi and & Dr. Khizer Baig, Agriculture Environmental
Renewal Canada (AERC) Inc.,
*Ontario Farmer*, 29 Sep 2026
Canada’s 2026 acreage story is dominated by familiar crops. Statistics
Canada reported record canola seedings of 23.4 million acres, while corn,
soybeans, and barley also gained ground.
These shifts show how quickly producers respond when price signals,
processing capacity, and agronomic fit align. They also raise a
forward-looking question: which crops can add resilience and new markets as
Canadian growing conditions become more variable?
Sorghum and pearl millet deserve a place in that discussion. They will not
replace Canada’s major field crops, nor should they be presented as
universal solutions. Their opportunity is more targeted: drought-tolerant
forage during feed shortages, grain for specialized food and livestock
markets, sweetstem biomass for fermentation, and rotation options for farms
seeking biological and soil- health benefits.
Ontario is well positioned to build these value chains because it combines
livestock production, food processing, research capacity, and access to
large consumer markets.
*Thirty-five years of adaptation through conventional breeding*
Sorghum and pearl millet originated in warmer regions, so their successful
cultivation in Canada required much more than the introduction of tropical
germplasm. The principal breeding challenge was to retain their natural
tolerance to drought and heat while progressively incorporating and
accumulating favorable alleles associated with early emergence, adaptation
to cooler temperatures, early flowering and maturity, stable biomass or
grain yield, and performance within Canada’s short frost-free growing
season.
This long-term effort may be compared, in principle, with the nobilization
of sugarcane, in which repeated crossing and selection combined desirable
characteristics from diverse genetic backgrounds to produce commercially
useful cultivars. Similarly, Agriculture and Environmental Renewal Canada
Inc. used conventional crossing, selection, and evaluation over successive
generations to assemble favorable cold-adaptation and short-season traits
in sorghum and pearl millet.
This was not genetic engineering; rather, it was the gradual introgression
and accumulation of naturally occurring favorable genes and alleles through
conventional plant breeding. AERC has pursued this work for more than 35
years. Its systematic development of Canadian- adapted sorghum and pearl
millet began in the 1990s. Approximately 4,850 accessions were evaluated,
from which 38 sorghum and 22 pearl millet lines demonstrated useful
adaptation in the Ottawa– Carleton environment.
Continued selection and testing emphasized early vigor, tolerance to cool
conditions, timely flowering and maturity, yield stability, forage and
grain quality, and suitability for food, feed, and industrial applications.
The resulting material was evaluated with Canadian federal and provincial
organizations, universities, farmers, and industry partners.
This prolonged adaptation process is important because drought tolerance
alone does not make a tropical crop commercially suitable for Canada. A
genotype may withstand dry conditions but still fail if it emerges poorly
in cool soil, flowers too late, produces grain with excessive moisture at
harvest, or does not fit existing livestock and processing systems.
Canadian-adapted germplasm therefore provides the biological foundation,
while validated agronomy, reliable seed supply, market specifications, and
processing agreements are essential for successful commercialization.
*A portfolio for several value chains*
AERC’s current seed-chain portfolio demonstrates that sorghum and pearl
millet are versatile crops capable of supporting several agricultural and
industrial value chains. The portfolio comprises eight Canadian-adapted
hybrids selected for forage, grain, food, livestock-feed, and sweet-stem
applications.
The sorghum portfolio includes CHMSH-35, a forage hybrid suitable for
high-biomass fodder and silage production, and CFSH-30, a multicut forage
hybrid developed to provide repeated harvests and dependable feed for dairy
and beef production. The grain sorghum hybrids CGSH-9 and CGSH-28 offer
opportunities for livestock and poultry feed, birdseed, gluten-free foods,
flour, brewing, and other value-added products.
CSSH-45 is a dual-purpose sweet sorghum hybrid that produces fermentable,
sugar-rich stem juice for ethanol and other industrial products, while the
remaining biomass can be used for silage after juice extraction
(Photographs 1 to 3).
The pearl millet portfolio includes CGPMH-90, a short-duration grain hybrid
with potential applications in nutritious gluten-free foods, poultry and
livestock feed, and specialized grain products. CFPMH-101 is a
drought-tolerant, multicut forage hybrid intended for grazing, green chop,
and silage, while CSSPMH-7 is a sweet-stem, dual-purpose hybrid that
combines high-quality forage and silage production with sugar-rich sap
suitable for fermentation and renewable-energy applications. In addition to
these end uses, all three pearl millet hybrids—CGPMH-90, CFPMH-101, and
CSSPMH-7—have demonstrated potential to suppress the root-lesion nematode
(Pratylenchus penetrans), an important contributor to potato early dying
and associated yield losses. Their inclusion in pearl millet–potato
crop-rotation systems could help reduce nematode populations, interrupt
pest and disease cycles, improve soil health and fertility through
increased organic matter and root biomass, and enhance the productivity and
yield stability of subsequent potato crops.
These hybrids are therefore recommended for integration into sustainable
potato and vegetable production systems as multifunctional rotation crops
that combine nematode management and soilhealth benefits with valuable
grain, forage, silage, and renewable-energy uses (Photographs 4 to 5).
Together, these eight hybrids provide AERC with a focused seed-chain
portfolio extending from the farm to the livestock, food-processing, and
renewable-energy sectors. Their diverse end uses can help farmers reduce
production risk while giving processors access to Canadian-grown grain,
forage, and industrial feedstocks.
*Where Ontario can lead*
For farmers, the immediate opportunity is risk diversification. Sorghum and
pearl millet can complement, rather than displace, corn silage, cereals,
and established forages. Their drought tolerance and vigorous summer growth
may provide an alternative when water is limiting or when a short-season
emergency forage is needed. Lower-fertility and marginal fields may offer
additional niches, but field selection must be based on local trials,
economics, and realistic harvest logistics.
For livestock operators, the opportunity is a more resilient feed basket.
Multicut forage hybrids can spread harvest timing, while sweet-stem crops
offer high biomass and palatability. Feed testing remains essential because
maturity, fertility, frost, and ensiling conditions affect quality and
safety. Sorghum requires particular attention to prussic acid after frost
or severe stress.
For food processors, Canadian-grown gluten-free grain could support flour,
bakery mixes, snacks, beverages, and culturally familiar foods for a
diverse domestic market. Ontario has the advantage of proximity to millers,
bakeries, product-development expertise, and consumers. Processors can help
accelerate acreage by specifying grain color, protein, starch, particle
size, food-safety requirements, and minimum contracted volume before
planting.
For industrial users, sweet sorghum and sweet pearl millet warrant
pilot-scale evaluation for ethanol and other fermentation products. Their
strongest proposition is not simply liters of juice; it is integrated
utilization of juice, grain where applicable, and residual forage or
biomass.
Demonstration at commercial scale must establish storage, transport,
extraction efficiency, fermentation yield, and the value of co-products.
*From promising crop to dependable market*
The next phase requires coordinated development. First, hybrids need
replicated multi-location testing across Ontario and other provinces, with
transparent reporting of maturity, yield, forage quality, grain moisture,
lodging, disease response, and year-to-year variability.
Second, region-specific production guides must address soil temperature at
planting, seeding rate, fertility, weed control, harvest timing, and frost
management.
Third, seed multiplication and distribution must be reliable enough for
commercial growers.
Fourth, processors and livestock users should participate in trials so
agronomic performance is connected to an actual purchase specification.
A measured acreage-expansion strategy is preferable to growth without a
market. Contracted Pearl millet hybrid CGPMH-90 demonstration blocks with
dairy, beef, milling, and fermentation partners can generate farm-scale
data while protecting growers from uncertain demand. Public researchers,
crop advisers, and grower organizations can independently validate
performance and clarify where each hybrid fits - and where it does not.
Sorghum and pearl millet acreage is emerging from a small base in Canada,
but a consistent national series is not published separately in the
principal field crop survey. That makes careful language and better data
collection important. Seed sales, insured acres, processor purchases, and
provincial field trials could provide a more accurate picture of adoption.
*A practical climate adaptation opportunity*
Canada’s major crops will continue to dominate the seeded area. However,
climate resilience will increasingly depend on providing farmers with a
broader range of production options, particularly crops that can serve
multiple end uses and maintain useful productivity under heat and moisture
stress. After more than three decades of Canadian selection and adaptation,
sorghum and pearl millet are progressing from experimental introductions
toward practical options for farms, livestock operations, food processors,
and industrial value chains.
Ontario can lead this development by connecting Canadian-adapted genetics
with independent agronomic validation, livestock-feeding research, food
innovation, and industrial processing. Expanded domestic production of
sorghum and pearl millet could reduce dependence on imported gluten-free
grains, specialty food ingredients, livestock-feed components, and certain
industrial feedstocks.
It would also support the development and promotion of Made-in-Canada
products, including nutritious grain and flour, gluten-free foods, bakery
and snack products, livestock feed, silage, fermented beverages,
bioethanol, and other renewable bioproducts.
Developing an integrated domestic value chain would allow more economic
value to remain within Canada. Farmers could benefit from crop
diversification, new contractual markets, and additional income
opportunities. Food processors would gain access to traceable,
Canadian-grown raw materials, while industrial users could develop locally
sourced, lower-carbon feedstocks. Seed production, grain handling, milling,
feed manufacturing, transportation, and product development could generate
further business and employment opportunities in rural communities.
Canadian-adapted hybrids could also create export opportunities for
certified seed, specialty grain, gluten-free ingredients, livestock-feed
products, and renewable industrial materials. Canada’s reputation for
agricultural quality, food safety, scientific research, and reliable supply
could help position these products in markets facing drought, rising
temperatures, and increasing demand for nutritious and climate-resilient
crops.
If growers are supported by verified performance data, reliable seed
availability, suitable crop insurance, processing infrastructure, and
dependable buyers, sorghum and pearl millet can generate new farm income,
strengthen forage and food security, reduce import dependence, and expand
Canada’s agricultural exports. The opportunity is substantial—but it will
flourish only when production, processing, and markets grow together.
*(Agriculture and Environmental Renewal Canada Inc. is an Ottawa-based
hybrid seed company working on Canadian-adapted sorghum and pearl millet
for forage, grain, food, and industrial uses)*
======== End of the article ========
Raile Farms is an operation in northwest Kansas that grows organic wheat,
proso millet, and other crops. https://www.raile.farm/
This past summer, its owner, Tim Raile, posted on LinkedIn a set of three
AI images promoting proso millet as food for people. These spoofed the
stereotype of the grain as being just bird food by portraying birds as
gangsters upset with peple eating it.
Altho it’s an interesting effort, I’m not sure this approach works.
Nevertheless, if you want to take a look, here are links (these are not on
their website, and Google search did not find them):
* https://lnkd.in/p/gqEXC3Tq
* https://lnkd.in/p/g2NdkmYf
* https://lnkd.in/p/gDbZqs6x
The larger proso millet story is actually a lot more interesting than
whether it often goes into bird food mixes. Grains and grain-bearing crops,
including millets, have a lot of non-food uses, including feeding animals.
Personally, I would rather pivot off of the image of millets as ancient
grains as a way of changing the narrative.
In the case of proso, one could paint several scenarios from the distant
past that have been illuminated by archeobotanical and historical research
- beginning with origins in ancient China, then changes in Central Asia as
it spread west, then presence in Bronze Age central Europe, then the Middle
East (apparently the millet mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel), then maybe
middle ages in West Europe, and finally from there to North America and
beyond. Could such an approach help build an image of this millet beyond
current popular perceptions?
Could such an approach be accompanied by "ancient recipes," to the extent
one can reconstruct them?
And could all this be similarly developed for other millets?
What other approaches might work?
Don Osborn, PhD
(East Lansing, MI, US)
North American Millets Alliance
A recent review article examines advances and directions of research on
genomics of millets.
First, here's a very readable overview of the article. (Unfortunately, the
lead image appears to be an AI-generated view of wheat in a field.)
"Millets Get a Genomic Makeover: From Orphan Crops to Climate-Smart
Supergrains," BioEngineer.org, October 11, 2026
https://bioengineer.org/millets-get-a-genomic-makeover-from-orphan-crops-to…
And here's the citation and abstract of the article itself:
Ceasar, S. A., Rathna, A. S., & Abdi, G. (2026). "Integrative multi-omics
and biotechnology for climate resilience and micronutrient biofortification
in millets: from trait discovery to precision crop improvement." Current
Research in Biotechnology, Article 100426.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbiot.2026.100426
ABSTRACT:
"Millets are small-seeded cereals of the family Poaceae that tolerate
drought, heat and poor soils. Their grains are rich in iron, zinc, calcium
and phenolic antioxidants. Finger millet is exceptionally rich in calcium,
and pearl millet is a good source of iron and zinc. These properties make
millet crops useful for tackling climate change and micronutrient
malnutrition. This review brings together recent progress in genomics,
transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, ionomics, epigenomics, phenomics
and genome editing in these crops. Foxtail millet, pearl millet and finger
millet now have chromosome-scale reference genomes and multi-omics
databases, and pan-genome assemblies are available for foxtail millet,
pearl millet and proso millet. In these three species, the stress-signaling
network is built around abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, several
transcription factor families, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and
osmolyte metabolism. Genetic transformation was long the main bottleneck,
but this is now changing. Foxtail millet supports a set of validated genome
edits, including base editing and edits that improve grain amino acid
quality. High-throughput and simplified protocols are extending
transformation to pearl millet and finger millet and genome editing to
pearl millet. Research on proso millet, little millet, kodo millet and
barnyard millet lags behind. One major gap remains. The molecular machinery
that controls micronutrient loading, including metal transporters,
chelators and storage proteins, is still poorly understood. We suggest
three priorities: biofortification based on mechanism; a transformation and
editing platform that works across millet species; and precision breeding
that links genomic prediction with digital phenomics and artificial
intelligence."
Don Osborn, PhD
(East Lansing, MI, US)
North American Millets Alliance
USDA publications on crops and other plants are standard references in the
US and also used internationally.Here's a brief consideration of the USDA
profile of our millet of the month in September, browntop or brown top
millet:
Sheahan, C.M. 2014. "Plant guide for browntop millet (Urochloa ramosa)."
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cape May Plant Materials
Center, Cape May, NJ.
https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_urra.pdf
Three years ago, I included a link to it in a Collab post about browntop
millet (and its cousin, Guinea millet)./1 Here I'd like to look at a few
details that might merit review for updating. I should hasten to add, that
by focusing on details, this is not meant to lessen the overall utility of
the plant guide - just to offer items for attention in any revision.
* Two different panicle forms: Under Description > General, this plant
guide does not mention that browntop has two panicle forms - one open, and
the other compact. See, for instance, Nandini, et al 2026 (which includes a
side-by-side image) cited in my recent post on Collab./2 See also an
article mentioning Karnataka, India farmers' observation that the
open-panicle or "branched" variety has less insect problems, and the
compact-panicle or "ball" variety has higher seed/grain production./3 The
panicle form would seem to be of particular interest for developing
varieties for food. My impression is that in general, browntop varieties in
the US are open-panicle varieties. (Panicle forms may vary in any millet,
but is this a distinct varietal difference in browntop? Cf. in sorghum,
Guinea type [open, often drooping] and Cautatum type [semi-compact and
upright].)
* Introduction to the US: Under Description > Distribution, the document
cites a 1990 source stating that it was introduced to the US in 1915.
Without suggesting that this is incorrect, I would note that I tried
without success to find a primary source confirming the date. Separate
searches turned up three mentions in newspapers in the US Southeast in
1918-1920 that did not give any background. One later source (1956) quotes
a crop specialist as saying that it was already being grown in Georgia in
1916. The 1915 date seems realistic, if one accepts the possibility of
quick dissemination. I'm still working on compiling the sparse information
on this and hope to share it later.
* Shade tolerance?: Under Description > Habitat, it is stated that browntp
grows best "... under full sun." This is unsurprising, being a common
characteristic of millets. However, there is evidence that it can also be
grown in association with trees (agroforestry) and might be shade
tolerant./4 The article mentions growing browntop under tamarind trees,
which from personal observation have a somewhat diffuse shade./5 How well
this association of browntop and trees actually works for grain or forage
production would be an interesting research topic.
* Waterlogging: Under Adaptation, it might state browntop's preference with
regard to too much water. Most descriptions not that it doesn't like wet
feet (unlike sorghum or the barnyard millets) but at least one source
suggests the opposite./4
* Use for food: The document mentions use of browntop as food not under
Uses but only under Ethnobotany. An update should mention that it is now a
minor commercial crop, packaged for sale in India and also exported.
* One final item: In mentioning several other millets under Adaptation,
this document equates "Japanese millet" with Echinochloa frumentacea, while
other sources prefer E. esculenta./6 This is a separate and longer
discussion, but noting here just that most sources discuss E. esculenta and
E. frumentatia - the "barnyard millets" - as two separate species with
origins likely in Japan and India, respectively.
Don Osborn, PhD
(East Lansing, MI, US)
North American Millets Alliance
Notes:
1. "September millet(s)-of-the-month: Browntop & Guinea," 30 Sept. 2023
https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac…
2. "3 recent review articles on browntop millet," 21 Sept. 2026
https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac…
3. Sujata B, Prabhu C G, Nandini C, Prabhakar, Thippeswamy V. "Browntop
Millet- A Review". Agricultural Research & Technology: Open Access Journal.
2018; 14(5): 555937. DOI: 10.19080/ARTOAJ.2018.14.555937
https://juniperpublishers.com/artoaj/pdf/ARTOAJ.MS.ID.555937.pdf
4. "Return of the forgotten crop – Brown top millet," by Anitha Reddy and
Krishna Prasad G, Leis India, n.d. (earliest capture on Archive.org, 3 Dec.
2020)
https://www.leisaindia.org/return-of-the-forgotten-crop-brown-top-millet/ .
I previously shared this link on Collab 2 years ago:
https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac…
5. Tamarind trees are common in the Sahel, where I have worked. I did some
limited propagation of this species from seed in Mali.
6. For example: Sheahan, C.M. 2014. "Plant guide for Japanese millet
(Echinochloa esculenta)." USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cape
May Plant Materials Center, Cape May, NJ.
