This field tour is an opportunity for growers, processors, businesses, and policymakers to gain first-hand knowledge and connect with experienced Kernza® stakeholders who will provide insight on their best practices for harvesting, post-harvest handling, cleaning and marketing 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. In 2021, Kernza growers across Minnesota formally incorporated as the Perennial Promise Growers Co-op (PPGC). PPGC leadership at this event will share the vision for the co-op and how they are growing and marketing Kernza®. Alex Heilman, Director of Supply & Trade for MadAgriculture, will share the work underway to market Kernza to companies across the US. Food companies, processors and culinary professionals will share how they are using Kernza and UMN researchers will be on-hand to answer questions about breeding, agronomics and economics.

The Field Day tour will feature:

An overview of the PPGC and state of the Kernza market
Harvesting and seed cleaning demonstrations
Q&A panels with processors, makers, and buyers
Water erosion demonstrations from the Lac qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District
Soil pit showcasing the impressive Kernza root system
Kernza 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.

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

Kernza® Field Day: Advances in Harvesting, Processing and Marketing

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