Perennial Intermediate Wheatgrass Efforts Advance
Minnesota researchers are working to boost the yields of perennial intermediate wheatgrass, a forage crop. James Anderson, a project leader and professor at the University of Minnesota, calls it a…
How Kansas Home Bakers Can Be ‘Citizen Scientists’ and Help Save the Planet
As 2020 comes to a close, many of us are staying safely at home and finding respite in our kitchens. The loaves of sourdough and banana bread that were so…
Ranch Musings: Perennial Cereals and Their Potential to Heal
I was excited to read that intermediate wheatgrass is now approved for human use in the U.S. This report is featured in the New Seed Variety Guide for 2021 put…
Kernza Is Recommended for Grain and Forage
As part of its mission of sustainability in agriculture, the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP) is interested in crops that hold environmental and economic…
Study Looks at Economics of Wheatgrass as Dual-Purpose Crop
A new study is looking at intermediate wheatgrass’s potential to be both cash crop and quality forage in the same year. Intermediate wheatgrass is a perennial grain sometimes known by…
Food by Design – Ep3: Old Ag, New Crops
EPISODE NOTES We’re talking Rusty Butz, Kernza bread, and peas in your mac n’ cheese. This episode is an exploration of Indigenous farming practices, ancient grains, and how regenerative farming…
Kernza: Could This Perennial Wheatgrass Help Farmers Adapt to Climate Change?
As the weather gets colder, Carmen Fernholz of Minnesota enjoys looking out at his fields of Kernza. This wheatgrass is a perennial, which means it overwinters and comes back in spring….
Can the Climate-Friendly Grain Kernza Finally Hit the Big Time?
At Bang Brewing in St. Paul, Minnesota, co-owner Sandy Boss Febbo keeps an 18-foot-long poster on the wall with photos of two grasses and their excavated roots. The first is a wheat…
Multi-State Project Champions Kernza
Expanding the scope of Kernza is the aim of a multi-state coalition. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison are part of the coalition to expand the research, production and commercialization…
Researcher Sees Fit for Perennial Small Grain Crops
Ancient farmers began domesticating wild annual plants approximately 10,000 years ago. Eventually, farmers became dependent upon annual grain crops, and according to Brandon Schlautman of The Land Institute, diverse natural…
Growing Alternative Crops in Iowa can Bring Risks and Rewards
Many Iowa farmers are seeking alternatives to just corn and soybeans as a way to reduce risk, replenish the soil and improve water quality. But before considering a new crop,…
Ancient Grain Going Modern
One of the world’s oldest grains has found new life. Now, a new $10 million grant aims to further boost commercial use of Kernza. Informally known as the Kernza Cap,…