Looking for a way to diversify and improve soil health, a Valley County farmer planted a crop known for its seeds with something else in mind.
Not content to be a price taker, he now turns 1.7 million sunflowers into cooking oil found on store shelves.
While most Nebraska producers grow crops for an established market, Alan Koelling was searching for something different, something that could improve the soil while opening new opportunities for the farm.
“Sunflowers, we discovered, are an actual soil builder. They actually loosen up the soil with that eight-foot taproot, as well as bringing up nitrogen and other nutrients that are beyond the two to three foot depth,” Koelling said.
The agronomics made sense, even if the business side didn’t.
“We needed to find a market for it, which was a challenge in Nebraska. And so we developed our own market by expelling the oil out of the seed. Originally making biodiesel out of that, but then finding out that the nutrient qualities are so superior that sunflower oil has over other vegetable oils,” Koelling said.
Instead of hauling to an elevator, the Koelling family began pressing sunflower seeds into cooking oil. Today, Simply Sunflower Oil can be found on shelves across the country, and that’s where Alan’s daughter Sierra comes into the business.
“Over the past ten years we’ve grown from just being in six mom-and-pop local grocery stores, which we love. Those are our roots. But now we have grown to over 1,400 stores across 33 states,” said Sierra Forrest.
Growing the crop was only half the challenge; Building a brand required a different skill set.
Alan said, “I’m a producer and a good producer. American farmers are good producers. Some of them are very good marketers. I’m challenged in that area. And so we brought on my daughter Sierra. Not because she’s my daughter, but because she is a tremendous marketer and salesperson.”
Together, father and daughter have built a value-added business from a crop many Nebraskans know mainly for its bright yellow blooms.
And every bottle carries part of the story, including the farmer behind it.
“When you look for Simply Sunflower Oil in the store, turn it to the side. That’s my dad, Farmer Al. And it has a little bit of our story and our farm that’s been in the family for 120 years,” Sierra said.
For Koelling, success isn’t measured only in bottles sold but also measured in healthier soil and the opportunity to grow his business with his daughter.
“If we take care of the soil, and that’s just my philosophy, it will take care of you,” he said.
But there’s one thing Koelling never expected; The sunflowers themselves became the attraction.
What began with a handful of curious neighbors stopping by has blossomed into an annual field day that attracts visitors from across the Midwest plus locals like Laurie Christensen of North Loup.
“It’s just amazing. You can’t believe it until you see it. It’s just beautiful. Beautiful,” she said as she took it all in.
In a world that’s increasingly AI, this is a landscape that stands out.
“I’ve always just wanted senior pictures out in the fields of sunflowers,” explained Riley Starkey of Grand Island.
For the Koelling family, field day is a chance to share more than a product, but connect agriculture to the wider community. This year, Sierra said they welcomed folks from 42 communities, eight states, and three countries.
“We absolutely love hosting everyone for Simply Sunflower Field Day. We have grown field day to welcome over 500 visitors each year,” Forrest said, “Everyone gets to experience the joy from these sunflowers.”
And while the flower are following the sun, Farmer Al says his goal is to follow the son, with a business incorporated as Sunpower Industries, a reflection of Koelling’s Christian faith.
“I believe God’s got it all in control,” he said.
With the faith of a sunflower seed, the Koellings planted a crop to improve the soil and expand markets. That now supports a family business, fills store shelves across the country and, for one weekend every summer, transforms a Nebraska farm into one of the state’s most photographed destinations.