Stand your broom up at any point in the day, and voila. Prepare to be amazed by an ordinary piece of household cleaning equipment standing upright thanks to help from gravity, or something.

Each fifth grade student at Hartsbook, an agricultural private school, creates a kitchen broom with locally-grown broomcorn — a type of sorghum that’s particularly good for sweeping dirt and dust.

sweeping pattern, meaning the bristles are on the pavement for 3 to 4 in. Stenzel says if the bristles are on more than that then the down pressure is too much, the broom and equipment could be ...