Kernza® Field Day: Advances in Breeding, Production and Marketing

This field tour is an opportunity for growers, processors, businesses, and policymakers to gain first-hand knowledge and connect with experienced Kernza® growers and researchers who have been advancing the breeding, production and marketing of the nation's first perennial grain.

Kernza® perennial grain has the potential to change agriculture landscapes by providing valuable ecosystem services and new economic opportunities. A-Frame Farm, owned by Carmen Fernholz and operated by Luke Peterson, is one of the first farms in Minnesota to plant Kernza, over a decade ago. In that time, Fernholz and Peterson have closely partnered with both University researchers and industry experts to support both the agronomic and market development of this visionary new crop. In 2021, Perennial Promise Growers Co-op was formed to serve as a production and marketing agency for growers. Representatives from the co-op will also be on-hand to share market development.

The Field Day tour will feature:

• A tour of the next generation of Kernza varieties
• Post-harvest/on-farm seed processing and conditioning demonstration
• An overview of the state of the Kernza market
• Water erosion demonstrations from the Lac qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District
• Soil pit showcasing the impressive Kernza root system
• Kernza food and beverage products

We recommend wearing durable shoes or boots to walk through the field. This is a rain-or-shine event, so please dress accordingly. Light refreshments that include Kernza will be served during a social hour following the tour, plan to stay for conversation and connection!

This event is free but registration is required.

Please note: a film crew will be on-site during the field tour and will be capturing footage for a documentary film. A release form is included in the registration.

A-Frame Farm was established as a certified organic farm in Madison, Minnesota in 1975 by Carmen Fernholz. Fernholz has partnered with UMN crop researchers on agricultural research for over three decades and has been growing Kernza since 2011. A-Frame Farm manager, Luke Peterson, started growing and marketing Kernza in 2018, and now manages 100+ acres of the UMN variety, MN-Clearwater.

UMN Forever Green Initiative (FGI) and The Land Institute: University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative has been engaged in research and development of this ground-breaking crop for several years in 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.

*A portion of this field day is supported by AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project (SAS-CAP) grant no. 2020-68012-31934 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. More information: www.kernza.org/cap

Photo credits: Top: Constance Carlson, Middle: Carmen Fernholz, Bottom: Mette Nielson