Publicly funded agricultural research can sometimes take decades to show clear-cut, practical results, the kind that are evident to the naked eye. But on a hot July afternoon in western Minnesota, Carmen Fernholz was able to vouch for a significant return on investment in a relatively short amount of time when it comes to breeding a more farm-friendly form of perennial grain.
“When I planted that seed the first year, I could hardly see it, it was so small,” said Fernholz. “And when I got the seed last fall and took the husk off it, it was double in size. I said, ‘That’s what they did in six or seven years?’ That tells me we’re moving quickly.”
He said this while standing in a field on the more than 350 acres he and his wife Sally farm near Madison in western Minnesota. Growing in that 15-acre field was a lush, thick stand of a variety of wheatgrass with the trademarked name “Kernza.” As the chest-high plants bent to the breeze, they bore a strong resemblance to annual wheat. In fact, intermediate wheatgrass is a perennial grass that is a genetic cousin of common wheat, and in the Fernholz field grain kernels were maturing on the ends of the stalks. Carmen explained that what sets this stand of grain apart is that it won’t have to be replanted next year. In other words, this field represents a key step in developing the world’s first commercially-viable perennial grain.
Gathered around the edges of the field were more than 70 farmers, plant breeders, natural resource agency personnel, and people involved in the food industry. It was fitting that such a wide spectrum of the farm and food system was represented on this particular day. After all, from the time University of Minnesota scientists like Dr. Don Wyse started developing this form of wheatgrass back in 2011, they made it clear that research related to it wouldn’t just focus on improving agronomic characteristics like seed size and harvestability. Through the U of M’s Forever Green Initiative, researchers have also been examining what impacts this deep-rooted plant can have on building soil health and keeping contaminants out of water, as well as how well it lends itself to being milled into flour and utilized for everything from baked goods to beer. They’ve even been studying its use as a source of livestock forage.
The U of M got its first Kernza seeds from the Land Institute in Kansas, which has been working on developing perennial grain for decades. Wyse and other researchers have spent the past eight years developing a line of the wheatgrass that is adapted to a more northern climate. The 15 acres growing on the Fernholz farm represents the first Minnesota variety of the plant. This will be the first of many U of M Kernza varieties, according to Dr. Jake Jungers, a perennial cropping systems ecologist in the university’s department of agronomy and plant genetics. Seven more varieties are in the pipeline, ready to be rolled out in the next several years. Minnesota-born Kernza is now being raised on around a dozen farms— some as far north as the Canadian border and some in the southeastern and southwestern regions of the state.
“This is the honeymoon period for Kernza research,” said Jungers as he examined the stand, which he and wheat breeder Dr. Jim Anderson said was the best they’d seen yet. They were particular impressed by the stand considering that it, along with the rest of the land the Fernholzes farm, is certified organic. “Things are happening fast and furious,” added Jungers.
Over the past five years or so, the U of M’s success in doubling seed size has increased productivity of the grain kernel. Increased size also has a practical benefit for farmers come planting time. “If you’re not used to planting light, fluffy seed, you can lose your religion quite quickly,” quipped Fernholz.
Another critical improvement is Minnesota Kernza stalks are shorter—tall, rangy wheatgrass tends to fall over and lodge when the seed size is increased. Researchers have also been working on improving the grain’s ability to separate from the hull during harvest without sticking. As was made clear during the field day, this “fast and furious” activity is not restricted to seed size and harvestability; results are emerging as to its environmental benefits as well—it can keep nitrates out of groundwater while helping soil better manage runoff in general. The fact that it is a perennial with an extensive root system also means it can build soil organic matter, which, among other things, sequesters greenhouse gases.
In addition, the food company General Mills had samples of a Kernza-based cereal on-hand at the Fernholz farm, while the Birchwood Café and Bang Brewery offered up baked goods and beer, respectively, that were produced with the perennial grain. Finally, feed trials show that it compares well to pasture grass as a source of forage for cattle.
Kernza still faces plenty of roadblocks before it is commercially feasible—yield and harvestability are just two issues scientists and farmers are struggling with. But in just a few short years, intermediate wheatgrass science has shown the sweet spot publicly funded agricultural research can fit nicely into: while providing public goods like environmental sustainability, products can be created that benefit a specific group, in this case the farmers who derive economic value from raising a soil-friendly crop.
A Public Investment
The research on Kernza is being coordinated by the Forever Green Initiative, a U of M program that is working to develop a variety of crops that can provide an alternative to annual plantings of corn and soybeans. Besides Kernza, Forever Green is working with, for example, pennycress and winter camelina, oilseeds which can be grown alongside soybeans as a kind of relay crop.
During the past several years, the Land Stewardship Project has worked with other groups to procure funding from the Minnesota Legislature for Forever Green to the tune of $1.5 million to $2 million for two-year budget cycles.
Kernza and the other plant systems being studied by Forever Green represent a slight change in attitude on the part of policymakers. By helping to fund this research, members of the Minnesota Legislature are acknowledging that the future of agriculture does not need to be completely wedded to ever-increasing corn and soybean production, and that there are advantages to borrowing from a plant’s wild side when creating a viable agricultural crop.
The experience the Fernholzes are having with Kernza offers a glimpse at how publicly-funded innovation can prime the pump for widespread innovation on the land.
A Hoof in the Door
Trials show that after year three, Kernza’s productivity drops off significantly. Carmen Fernholz likes the fact that after planting the wheatgrass, he will have at least three years of continuous living cover on a field, which will build organic matter with its deep roots and biomass, eliminating the need for tillage and other means of weed control. Because he is organic, Fernholz relies on tillage for weed control more than he likes, and a perennial grain like Kernza can help deal with that issue while producing cash flow year-after-year.
“I’ve really become sensitized to tillage,” the farmer said. “With things like Kernza, through a natural system we can suppress our weed seed banks, and then we have a much greater opportunity to eliminate this tillage we are so dependent upon now. Kernza is its own cover crop.”
Since a conventional field must be chemical-free for three years before it can be certified organic, Kernza is the perfect transition crop for farmers looking to go organic, said Fernholz.
And Kernza’s ability to be grazed makes it a multifunctional crop. Jungers laid out a scenario where a grower with cattle could plant Kernza in the fall and then graze it early the following spring—trials show that grazing in the spring typically does not reduce grain yield; in fact, it may improve stand longevity. In mid-August, the grain could be harvested and the straw baled. Later in the fall, it could be grazed again.
“So, there could potentially be four sources of revenue in one season: spring grazing, grain harvest, straw removal, and a fall grazing,” said Jungers.
That potential for utilizing livestock in such a system has Fernholz excited. He and Sally started farming in 1972 and have been certified organic since 1975. Recently, they have been working with a beginning farmer, Luke Peterson, who is interested in carrying on the land’s organic legacy. As part of that plan, Peterson wants to integrate livestock into the operation, something the Fernholzes have not done. Carmen feels Kernza could provide that entry for animals. In fact, this summer the Fernholzes and Peterson signed a contract with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service that qualifies them for cost-share funds to put in rotational grazing infrastructure.
All of this is exciting stuff for Carmen, a longtime pioneer in organic and regenerative agriculture who has been doing joint, on-farm research with the U of M since the mid-1980s. When he was first approached by Wyse about planting a few acres of intermediate wheatgrass, the farmer agreed to it quickly—mostly, he said, because he already had a good working relationship with U of M researchers and was used to them “tossing things” at him. But it soon became evident that this research could have deeper implications, from an agronomic, environmental, and economic point of view.
“Hey, if we can produce a revenue-generating perennial grain on our farms while improving soil health, let’s do it, let’s move forward,” said Fernholz. “It’s exciting.”