Farm406

farm406 18 As he looked over the field that discouraging April day, he thought that the experiment with Kernza had failed—all of that work, trouble, and cost for nothing. He considered readying the field for another crop, but as an optimist, he decided to wait a lile longer. Early in June he stopped to inspect the field once again. Dark green leaves had sprouted everywhere. Relieved, he thought about the trials in planting a new crop. It is difficult being first. Being second—or even third—provides experience from those who came before. Being first in the region, he knew he would be alone on the side of "inexperience" in raising Kernza for at least the coming year. What Is Kernza®? Kernza is a grain that comes from Intermediate wheatgrass, and its technical name is inopyrum intermedium. Trademarked by e Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, Kernza comes from a perennial forage grass that is native to Europe and Western Asia. It was brought to the United States in 1907 for grazing purposes and can be found growing wild in Central and Western United States. e goal today for domesticating and raising Kernza grain is to develop a perennial grass for grazing and browsing animals along with grain production. Kernza also builds organic maer in the soil, unlike some annuals—such as corn, that deplete the soil organic maer and require inputs. Kernza holds the distinction of being the first perennial grain to be domesticated by humans. In 2018, 1200 acres were cultivated across the United States, and in the summer of 2019, Engellant had the distinction of raising the largest contiguous acreage of Kernza. Erik Engellant, on the right, and employee, Chuck Protsman, check list of different grains stored in bins at the farm. e Land Institute e Land Institute, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization based in Salina, Kansas, was founded in 1976 on 28 acres by Wes and Dana Jackson. rough a "genius" grant awarded by the McArthur Foundation, the couple was able to start e Land Institute that promotes "natural systems agriculture" through plant breeding and other programs. Today e Land Institute's work, led by a team of plant breeders and ecologists working with other collaborators in as many as 41 locations worldwide, is focused on developing perennial grains, pulses, and oilseed crops to be grown in ecologically intensified, diverse crop mixtures known as perennial polycultures. e Land Institute's goal is to create an agricultural system that mimics natural systems to produce ample food and to reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of industrial agriculture. Photo: Courtesy of e Land Institute The young plant of intermediate wheatgrass that produces Kernza® seed.

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