KERNZA®

Category: Ecosystems Services

Adrian, MN Protects Drinking Water With Kernza and Native Perennials

Ecosystems Services, Media

Farmers and water conservation district staff in the city of Adrian, Minnesota, are planting Kernza®, native perennials, and cover crops near drinking water wells to reduce elevated nitrate levels in groundwater caused by fertilizer use for row crops. To address this public health issue and comply with the Safe Drinking Water Standard, Adrien Public Utilities, … Continue reading Adrian, MN Protects Drinking Water With Kernza and Native Perennials

Now Open for Enrollment: EECO Pilot Program

Ecosystems Services, Kernza® at work

For the most up-to-date version of EECO enrollment (2/2024) find the flier here or enroll here. Eligible Minnesota growers can now enroll in the Forever Green EECO Implementation Program. This program supports the early commercial success and environmental benefits of the continuous living cover crops and cropping systems being developed by the University of Minnesota … Continue reading Now Open for Enrollment: EECO Pilot Program

Kernza® Perennial Grain Protects Water Quality in Minnesota

Ecosystems Services

Field-scale trials with Kernza perennial grain provided important data establishing its capacity to limit nitrate leaching below the rooting zone, protecting water quality in Minnesota. Nitrate leaching from fertilizer applied to row crops poses a serious risk to rural communities in Minnesota, especially the Southern and Western parts of the state. Soil water under corn … Continue reading Kernza® Perennial Grain Protects Water Quality in Minnesota

Meet Paul Novotny, Continuous Living Cover farmer, steward & community leader

Ecosystems Services, Kernza® at work

Article by Sylvia Bachmann, photos by Dodd Demas Paul Novotny, 51, farms nears Chatfield, Minn., pursuing a career he hadn’t even considered until about 15 years ago. While his grandfather came from a farm, Paul’s family was in the trucking business, and he also kept busy as a City Council member. But in 2006, an … Continue reading Meet Paul Novotny, Continuous Living Cover farmer, steward & community leader

Dakota County Kernza<sup>®</sup> Cost Share

Ecosystems Services, Kernza® at work

Kernza® now qualifies as a “Harvestable Cover” under the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District 2021 Cost Share Policies. This provision is based off the grain’s ability to improve water quality in waterways with elevated nitrogen-nitrate levels. Under Dakota SWCD’s policy, harvestable covers must be a new operational practice or implemented in a new … Continue reading Dakota County Kernza® Cost Share

Interview with Madeline Dubois

Ecosystems Services, Kernza® at work, Network Profile

This interview is part of a series which highlights the work of various individuals and organizations within the Kernza® network. Through these interviews, we aim to share and celebrate that there is a large and ever-changing ecosystem that moves Kernza® perennial grain forward. If you would like your organization’s work to be featured in an … Continue reading Interview with Madeline Dubois

Into The Weeds

Ecosystems Services, Research Roundup

A summary of the paper entitled Effective weed suppression in dual‐use intermediate wheatgrass systems By: Joe Zimbric In September of 2015 a small quarter acre section of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arlington Agricultural Research Station was planted with a cycle 4 variety of Kernza® intermediate wheatgrass. At that time, the small planting represented the first … Continue reading Into The Weeds

Below the Surface: soil health and perenniality

Ecosystems Services, Research Roundup

August is a busy time for both The Land Institute and Kernza® growers. As interns shuffle from the fields to the threshing rooms, growers all around the country are at various phases of harvesting their Kernza® plots. Amidst the activity, we are revisiting research pertaining to perennial crops’ ecosystems services. In the paper summarized here, … Continue reading Below the Surface: soil health and perenniality

Carbon and water relations in perennial Kernza<sup>®</sup>

Ecosystems Services, Research Roundup

Perennial crops, like Kernza® varieties of intermediate wheatgrass, have been proposed as a more sustainable alternative to annual crops, because they have extended growing seasons, continuous ground cover, reduced nutrient leakage, and sequester more carbon in the soils than annual crops. In a recently published Plant Science paper, researchers dive deeper into the water and … Continue reading Carbon and water relations in perennial Kernza®