Please join AURI Connects: Fields of Innovation as we welcome Tessa Peters, Crop Stewardship Manager for The Land Institute, and Christopher Abbott, Co-Founder of Sprowt Labs and Perennial Pantry, to discuss market opportunities for a promising new crop being produced by Minnesota farmers: Kernza® Perennial Grain. Peters and Abbott will provide an update on efforts to commercialize this ecologically-friendly, multi-functional crop and discuss the potential it holds for Minnesota farmers and businesses.
Kernza® perennial grain is a new domesticated grain introduced by The Land Institute that is now being developed for commercial use. It originates from a forage grass called intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) and is a cousin of wheat. In 2019, the University of Minnesota released its first named Kernza® variety: MN-Clearwater.
As a perennial crop Kernza® offers year-round soil cover, helping farmers reduce soil erosion and protect streams, lakes and groundwater from potential contamination.
The conversation about Kernza® and other new and emerging crops is ongoing at the Fields of Innovation Facebook Group.
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