How Wendy Johnson of Jóia Food & Fiber Farm Is Leading the Way with Kernza®

Meet Wendy and Her Farm

As the owner of Jóia Food & Fiber Farm in Iowa, Wendy Johnson, a 4th-generation farmer, brings a future-forward mindset to farming. She embraces regenerative methods that enhance soil health, promote biodiversity, and ensure long-term sustainability.

Wendy’s introduction to Kernza came from a need to improve soil conditions and lower input costs. Intrigued by its environmental benefits and market potential, she decided to incorporate the perennial grain into her farm. What she found was a crop that helps her achieve her sustainability goals and provides many practical and financial advantages. “I was looking for an answer, like a super grain that could be integrated into our farm systems and reduce our costs while also keeping soil in place and be resilient to these extreme flooding and drought events. And I felt like Kernza was an answer for all that.”

The Case for Kernza

Because Kernza is a perennial grain that doesn’t require replanting every year, it calls for far fewer resource-intensive inputs than annual crops. Its deep roots improve moisture retention, making it more resilient to unpredictable precipitation. With the changing climate, the drought tolerance of Kernza has become especially valuable to her and many others. Wendy shares, “Normally we get 36 – 40 inches of rain, but in 2023 we had a total of 12. Despite that, we had a really great crop of Kernza for both grain and forage, and we found earthworm middens and fungi growth — in the middle of a drought, which tells us that Kernza underground is providing hospitable places for a lot of life.”

Another key benefit Wendy has capitalized on is the grain’s reduced reliance on synthetic fertilizers like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). Lowering their use has significant positive financial and environmental advantages.

Additionally, Wendy says, “Kernza is a great way to diversify cropping systems because you can integrate livestock into that system, and livestock is a great way for beginning farmers or our next generation to create a business related to diversification.” Kernza serves as a forage as well as a grain crop, allowing livestock to graze while their manure naturally enriches the soil. By producing both grain and forage, Kernza helps farmers create varied income sources and helps save on hay purchasing costs.

For Wendy, these benefits translate to tangible improvements, making her an advocate for Kernza as an effective choice for both ecological and financial sustainability. “When I tell the story of how beneficial it is as a public benefit to our water quality, to our wildlife habitats, to our resilience with climate change all while saving on costs,” she shares, “It truly resonates with the audience.”

Building Long-Term Farm Resilience

Wendy highlights how integrating perennials isn’t just about the environmental benefits, it’s about ensuring farms remain viable for future generations. With ongoing challenges in balancing profitability with soil health, Kernza plays a vital role in Wendy’s diversified crop rotation strategy. Not only does it help preserve the soil by reducing erosion and boosting organic matter, it also supports a healthy environment for microbes, which help her fields improve year after year.

Because of its perennial nature, she doesn’t have to worry about replanting every season or adding expensive inputs, which cuts down on operational costs and provides a more stable financial model for her farm.

Its adaptability to drought, resiliency to flooding and ability to improve soil over time offer a buffer against the unpredictable swings of both climate and market conditions. It’s been a real safeguard for the farm’s future.

Why Kernza Matters for the Future of Farming

With increasing environmental and economic pressures, the need for resilient farming solutions is growing. Wendy believes Kernza holds immense potential to shape the future of agriculture. “We are seeing increased weather variability and extremes that leave annual row crops very vulnerable,” she says. “Soon insurance will either become too expensive or simply not available due to heavy losses.” Wendy shares that having a perennial in a crop rotation reduces the risks.

She goes on to say, “I think we have to figure out ways of thinking outside the box, thinking of ways that we can shorten that supply chain so we can bring our food to people directly and share our messages directly.” Organizations like Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative and others are helping spread that sentiment. Wendy says, “That’s what farmers want; they want more independence to make common-sense decisions on their farms for increased financial viability.”

What’s Next for Wendy and Jóia Food & Fiber Farm?

Wendy remains dedicated to Kernza, continuously refining her farming approach and advocating for wider adoption. She envisions a future where perennial grains play a fundamental role in agriculture by helping farmers build profitable, regenerative systems.

She encourages farmers to experiment with Kernza and experience its benefits firsthand. She also calls on consumers to seek out Kernza-based foods to drive awareness and growth. Kernza products taste delicious, and depending on the formulation, may also contain more protein than other grain-based options!

A Smarter Way Forward

For Wendy, Kernza makes sense from an environmental perspective and as a practical way to reduce input costs in her crop rotation. “On my farm, it’s a dream crop,” she says. “It gets more livestock on the land. It gets us farmers active in our land stewardship, it provides amazing wildlife habitat, keeps soil in place, suppresses weeds and increases soil health. With livestock integration, it’s a low-cost low-input crop. I have loved witnessing the benefits of it each year.”

To discover more about Kernza and its role in shaping sustainable farming, explore our resources or contact us today.