Perennial grain Kernza taking root in Minnesota
GOODHUE COUNTY, Minn. — If humans want to continue eating we need to continue farming. But many farming practices that have become common in the 21st century result in pollution…
Fred Iutzi: Changes are Coming
TOPEKA, Kan. — Keynote speaker Fred Iutzi, president of The Land Institute, helped the Kansas Rural Center mark its 40th anniversary at their annual conference in early November by dealing…
Large crowd shows interest in eco-friendly perennial grain crop
A standing room only crowd of about 150 gathered at Imminent Brewing Dec. 11 to hear University of Minnesota Agronomy Professor Jake Jungers’ present “The Power of Perennials & Kernza’s…
The Seed Multiplier
Doug Brands is the water supervisor for the city of Edgerton charged with taking care of the city’s drinking water wells and its ion exchange water treatment plant that filters…
15 Organizations Creating Healthier Soil to Save the Planet
One of the most important tools to combat climate change is right under our feet — soil. Unfortunately, the planet’s soil is being eroded at a rate of about one…
How a New Grain Could Help Combat Climate Change
Scientists in Minnesota and Kansas are developing a grain called Kernza, which, unlike most of our food crops, is a perennial plant with a whole host of environmental benefits. While…
Local Water Quality Protection Efforts Attract Attention
Laura DeBeer found herself doing some unusual but welcome things during mid-October. First, the Minnesota Department of Health (DOH) came to Pipestone County specifically to film DeBeer doing her job….
Wheatgrass helping to keep Chatfield’s water clean
City officials are finding that perennial crop cover wheatgrass may just be the way to improve water quality in Chatfield. “We have nitrate levels of 0.4 to 0, and it’s…
10 Organizations Fighting Climate Change With Food
A recently published United Nations report warned that climate change threatens the world’s food supply. Diminishing water supply, increasing population growth, rising temperatures and deforestation combined with unsustainable land use create a…
With New Perennial Grain, a Step Forward for Eco-Friendly Agriculture
Some 40 years ago, Wes Jackson, a plant geneticist, founded The Land Institute on the prairie near Salina, Kansas. Concerned that modern agriculture destroyed native grasslands, he asked a question that came…
Editorial: Sacred Seeds effort preserves history for future
The nation’s first farmers were Native Americans. Today, there still are lessons to learn from their efforts so long ago. While evolution in the farm industry has been a constant…
‘Braiding the sacred’: Land Institute studies relationship between people, plants
A ritual in May in a field near Salina changed Abbi Han’s life. Han had never been a caretaker for plants. Now, the research resident at the Land Institute is…