Kernza® grain has made its way into the commercial supply chain in niche markets with the goal of developing new varieties and growing methods that will enable widespread planting and use of Kernza® in commercial products. Four breeding programs are focused on selecting for a number of traits including yield, shatter resistance, free threshing ability, … Continue reading The State of Kernza^®

The modern scale of our extractive annual monoculture agricultural system threatens to collapse the critical cultural and natural systems upon which we depend. Perennial grains are a robust and transformative remedy that can provide ample human food and reduce or eliminate impacts from the disruptions and dependencies of industrial agriculture. 25% of the world's annual … Continue reading Why Perennial Grains?

Kernza® grain is harvested from intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium). This (cousin) of annual wheat has been grown throughout the USA to provide fodder for livestock. Now intermediate wheatgrass is being domesticated as a grain for human food. Intermediate wheatgrass can be grown as a “multi-functional” crop, yielding various commodities as well as ecosystem services. Kernza® … Continue reading What is Kernza^®?

Tastes Great, Less Tilling Kernza® is a robust perennial grain that is pleasing palates and enriching fields around the world. Farmers, chefs, researchers and food businesses are using it to shift the agricultural paradigm from an annual model to a perennial future, from an extractive imperative to a regenerative reality. Climate Positive Kernza® grain’s extensive root … Continue reading Home

The Land Institute has long been a pioneer in agrarian reform in a movement that has gained wider attention with the growing public attention to the far-reaching effects of manmade climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report in 2019 warning that modern farming methods are greatly contributing to climate change. In Yale … Continue reading Kernza^® Eco-friendly Ag

Tim Crews, Fred Iutzi, and Rachel Stroer of The Land Institute were interviewed by Richard Gray of the BBC World News for the episode “Why Soil is Disappearing from Farms” as part of “Follow the Food,” a multimedia series exploring how agriculture is responding to the profound challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and a … Continue reading Kernza^® Saves Soil