Press Releases

Congressman Jason Smith Visits Heckemeyer’s Sweet Sorghum Farm as Part of 4^th Annual Farm Tour

Sikeston, MO –  Yesterday, as part of his 4^th Annual Farm Tour Congressman Jason Smith visited Heckemeyer’s Sweet Sorghum Farm in Sikeston to view the sorghum operations and speak with owner Matt Heckemeyer about their industry and the issues they are facing.

Smith commented, “ I am so impressed with the efficiency of operations at Heckemeyer Farm and their commitment to discovering new, innovative ways to use sorghum to move the agriculture industry forward in Missouri. I am proud to have farms like the Heckemeyer Farm that are committed to creating a prosperous future for farmers across America located in the 8^th Congressional District. I look forward to seeing how the Heckemeyer’s develop sorghum into the sugar of the future.”   

The Heckemeyer family was one of the first to bring milo into Missouri and now Matt Heckemeyer has grown the family farm into 200 acres of sweet sorghum. Matt Heckemeyer is working to unlock sweet sorghums potential by trying it as an animal feed, food-grade syrup and potential fuel source. The Heckemeyer Farm can process 100 tons of sorghum syrup per hour making it the top producer in Missouri and one of the top producers in the US. Sweet Sorghum has the potential to be converted into a fuel source and Heckemeyer Farm’s hopes to use the crop to produce butanol and change the future of energy.

This year’s Congressional Farm Tour will span roughly two weeks and cover nearly 3,000 miles while crisscrossing all 30 counties in Missouri’s 8^th District. In addition to hearing directly from the families and farmers about the operations they are running right here in southeast and south central Missouri, the farm tour will also highlight the diversity, importance and prominence of agriculture in Missouri’s 8^th Congressional District.