Arkansas Farmers Diversify Harvest with Sunflower Crop

Arkansas farmers Adam Chappell and Taylor Herren are diversifying their harvest by growing sunflowers on their farm near Cotton Plant. The sunflowers will be harvested for seed, which will be used to make sunflower oil and an ingredient in breakfast cereal through a contract with Seven Sundays, a cereal company based in Minneapolis.

The contract incentivizes farmers to adopt regenerative practices such as cover cropping, which is key to the program's success. Herren explained that 'to sell these sunflowers, you have to cover crop,' and that all growers who are growing sunflowers for this cereal are using some sort of regenerative practice.

Chappell has been incorporating regenerative practices on his farm for years, with cover cropping as the cornerstone of his soil health strategy. He estimated that their 100-acre sunflower crop would hit the 3,000-pound goal and noted that 'the roots can reach 48 inches into the soil profile.'

The long-term production benefits of growing sunflowers include improved soil health and biodiversity. Chappell plans to broadcast a cover crop of radishes in preparation for the upcoming planting season.