CURE was honored to lift up members Carmen and Sally Fernholz as they hosted a Kernza Field Day at their farm in Madison. Through both organic and sustainable farming practices, the Fernholz family have been role models of land stewardship in the watershed.
As the first commercially produced perennial grain crop, intermediate wheatgrass (Kernza® perennial grain) has the potential to change agriculture landscapes by providing valuable ecosystem services and new economic opportunities. The University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative (FGI) has been engaged in research and development on this ground-breaking crop for several years in strong partnership with The Land Institute (Kansas), where the grain was first developed. The UMN and Land Institute research team includes ecologists, breeders, agronomists and food scientists working on everything from increasing seed size and yields to field trials and commercial opportunities. The crop has advanced to the point that early commercialization has begun, with local and regional food businesses as well as corporate partnerships with companies such as Cascadian Farm / General Mills, Inc. and Patagonia Provisions.
This field tour was an opportunity for growers, processors and others interested in learning more about Kernza. Carmen Fernholz has been working with the University of Minnesota and growing intermediate wheatgrass for six years. His planted acres are some of the oldest in the state. Carmen was on-hand to talk about his experience growing Kernza. Intermediate wheatgrass researcher, Jake Jungers, Ph.D. was also on-hand to talk about the current research and where the University is hoping to take this crop.
This field tour is made possible through a generous grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
