Can Kernza perennial grain help Colorado farmers use less water?

“We all know the Colorado River Basin is experiencing significant reductions in the amount of water available for both agriculture and human populations downstream,” she said. “And so one thing that is of interest for these crops in Colorado is that there’s the potential that they will need less irrigation.” She added, “It’s not magic, but it’s pretty drought tolerant and produces high-quality forage and hay for cattle.”

New article from the Colorado Sun discusses a new research collaboration in the Colorado River Basin that brings together farmers, Colorado State University, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimted, and The Land Institute to test the viability of drought-tolerant perennial wheatgrass developed in Kansas called Kernza.