2023 Eastern Nebraska Soil Health Conference - Emerging Topics 2

Deloris Pittman & Mike Kamm Author

03/20/2023 Added

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Emerging topics in soil health 2. Opportunities for the perennial grain Kernza® - What it is and how it is grown - Roberta Rebesquini, UNL Graduate Student

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[00:00:05.040]All right.
[00:00:06.000]Good afternoon everyone.
[00:00:07.650]As Kacha mentioned, my name is Roberta Rebesquini.
[00:00:12.300]I am a graduate student at the agronomy department
[00:00:15.780]under Dr. Andrea Basche supervision.
[00:00:18.240]And I'll talk a little bit
[00:00:19.470]about a perennial grain called Kernza, what it is,
[00:00:24.120]how it is grown, and what the opportunities are.
[00:00:28.080]So to start with, what is Kernza?
[00:00:31.667]So Kernza is the trademark name for the grain harvested
[00:00:35.790]from intermediate wheatgrass, and it was developed
[00:00:40.410]by the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas.
[00:00:42.870]So we usually refer as Kernza for the grain
[00:00:46.500]and intermediate with grass for the plant.
[00:00:49.560]But they are basically the same.
[00:00:52.050]It is a cool season, low input perennial grass,
[00:00:55.710]and usually grows two to four and a half tall.
[00:00:58.620]So it's a pretty tall plant.
[00:01:01.200]The spike of this plant grows four to eight inches long
[00:01:06.030]with spikelets set close to the flowering stems.
[00:01:09.630]So as you can see in the diagram, each spikelet is composed
[00:01:13.290]by a small florets which forms
[00:01:15.600]the inflorescence of the plant.
[00:01:18.690]So why Kernza?
[00:01:19.890]Why are we studying Kernza?
[00:01:21.600]Why are some farmers growing this crop?
[00:01:24.690]So as mentioned earlier,
[00:01:27.210]a picture is worth a thousand words.
[00:01:29.550]So I like to use this picture here to show you
[00:01:32.580]how long the root system of Kernza can go in the soil.
[00:01:37.230]The roots can extend 10 feet or more beneath the soil,
[00:01:41.700]and the yield potential of Kernza is increasing,
[00:01:46.530]and after we harvest the grain,
[00:01:49.050]the stems and leaves can be used to be grazed.
[00:01:52.890]So it's a dual purpose crop.
[00:01:55.320]So it is a grain, it is a forage,
[00:01:58.230]and it also provides ecosystem services by efficiently
[00:02:03.180]taking water and nutrients and also delivering
[00:02:06.630]some atmospheric carbon to your soil.
[00:02:10.980]In good conditions of management and weather carries
[00:02:14.130]a seed heads can contain more seeds
[00:02:16.830]than an annual wheat head.
[00:02:19.470]So one of the main points and one of the main goals
[00:02:22.890]from the breeding programs is they're trying
[00:02:26.340]to increase the seed size.
[00:02:28.320]As you can see here in the picture when compared to wheat,
[00:02:32.670]Kernza seed is much smaller than wheat.
[00:02:35.130]So this is one of the main goals from the breeding programs.
[00:02:40.830]Additionally, intermediate wheatgrass is adapted
[00:02:44.250]to a wide range of soils, and it produces
[00:02:47.400]an excellent hay and pasture, either alone
[00:02:50.490]or in combination with a legume.
[00:02:53.700]As you can see here in the picture,
[00:02:55.879]this is part of one of our experiments located here
[00:02:59.220]at the ENREC where we are evaluating the development
[00:03:03.180]of Kernza when inter-cropped with alfalfa or clover.
[00:03:07.620]This picture we have Kernza inter-cropped with alfalfa.
[00:03:11.970]So we are basically trying to evaluate
[00:03:15.026]deferred quality when we crop Kernza with a legume,
[00:03:19.800]and trying to achieve a greater ecological intensification.
[00:03:25.110]So how is Kernza grown?
[00:03:27.120]It's pretty similar to winter wheat.
[00:03:29.340]So basically Kernza needs temperatures between 32
[00:03:34.011]and 50 Fahrenheit degrees for about six weeks
[00:03:38.520]in order to achieve the flowering stage,
[00:03:41.550]and later to produce grain.
[00:03:44.340]As a perennial crop, it does not require an annual tillage.
[00:03:48.330]So once we plant, we won't have
[00:03:50.670]to plant it again in the next years.
[00:03:53.670]And once Kernza is established,
[00:03:55.830]usually require less fertilizer
[00:03:58.170]and little or no herbicide applications.
[00:04:02.100]A little bit about the planting.
[00:04:04.170]Usually Kernza is planted in the fall,
[00:04:07.380]so most part of the growers will plant in August
[00:04:11.520]between August 1st and September 15th.
[00:04:14.820]And we usually use half an inch as adapt for planting Kernza
[00:04:20.040]and we can use a seeder and a packer to plant.
[00:04:24.150]Here's a picture of me and our technician, Tommy Galusha,
[00:04:27.690]when we were planting Kernza in 2021.
[00:04:33.270]A little bit about the harvesting.
[00:04:34.920]So usually Kernza is harvested
[00:04:38.400]in the summer or early fall just for you,
[00:04:43.500]so to have an idea, we harvested our experiments
[00:04:47.070]in 2022 in the last week of July, first week of August.
[00:04:51.720]So it can be swathed and collected
[00:04:54.570]with a pickup pattern or it can be directed harvested.
[00:04:57.930]You just need to adjust the combine
[00:05:00.090]for the small size of the grain.
[00:05:03.840]We do have some challenges when we talk about the harvest.
[00:05:08.520]First of all, we notice some moisture differences
[00:05:12.150]along the spike as well as seed size differences.
[00:05:16.500]So because of that, you are gonna see
[00:05:19.650]that the seeds mature in different rates along this spike.
[00:05:23.670]So this is a little bit challenging
[00:05:26.760]if you consider when to harvest.
[00:05:29.640]It's something that you kind of need to go early
[00:05:32.498]daily in the field when you are close
[00:05:35.790]to harvest maturity because you are gonna notice
[00:05:39.300]that the bottom third of the spike will
[00:05:42.450]not be as dry as the top.
[00:05:44.340]So it's a little bit challenging.
[00:05:47.160]And depending on how much time you wait
[00:05:50.100]to harvest some shadowing can occur with the seeds.
[00:05:54.690]Those are pictures from our trials that are
[00:05:57.300]also located here at the ENREC, as I mentioned.
[00:06:00.720]This is Kernza in 2022 when we reached the harvest maturity.
[00:06:08.940]A little bit about the forage.
[00:06:10.500]So the summer residue can be swathed
[00:06:13.410]and baled after we harvest the grain.
[00:06:17.112]And the quality of this forage is
[00:06:19.650]comparable to oat and wheat straw.
[00:06:24.120]Intermediate wheat grass can also be grazed
[00:06:27.180]throughout the winter and late fall.
[00:06:29.940]And this forage provides a medium to high quality.
[00:06:33.540]So this picture here just to show you
[00:06:37.170]that Kernza can provide us with a good biomass,
[00:06:40.950]a good amount of biomass in the field.
[00:06:43.080]So this is Kernza nine months after planting
[00:06:45.780]in the beginning of June of last year.
[00:06:50.370]The grain yields of Kernza, it can vary depending
[00:06:53.880]on the management and environmental conditions.
[00:06:57.750]In 2021, the average yields for this crop were
[00:07:02.130]around 400 pounds per acre.
[00:07:05.790]In a dry year, such as we had in 2022,
[00:07:08.910]the average yields were between 200 and 500 pounds per acre.
[00:07:12.990]Some farmers experienced it a little bit more
[00:07:16.590]and a variety trial that we had
[00:07:18.810]between 2018 and 2021 in Nebraska, besides Nebraska,
[00:07:24.630]several other states were participating,
[00:07:26.550]but we had an excellent relative performance
[00:07:29.730]of Kernza in Nebraska in terms of green yields.
[00:07:33.600]It's important to notice that these green yields are
[00:07:37.293]much lower than we are used to see with annual crops.
[00:07:41.670]But just highlighting that Kernza is around 30 to 40 years
[00:07:46.920]behind modern corn or soybeans
[00:07:50.130]or wheat in terms of the genetic trails.
[00:07:52.830]So we are improving over the years.
[00:07:57.600]This table here is part the partial cost of production
[00:08:01.470]and the numbers are based in our experiments for year one.
[00:08:05.310]So from 2021 to 2022.
[00:08:09.030]And it's basically I want to highlight here that
[00:08:12.960]besides the low input crop Kernza can be low cost crop
[00:08:18.510]if we consider seed tillage, fertilizer, and herbicide.
[00:08:22.470]Here the biggest savings for us was herbicide.
[00:08:25.950]We did not have to apply any herbicide so far
[00:08:29.340]in our experiments, and considering
[00:08:32.520]that it's a perennial crop, we won't have to plant again.
[00:08:35.910]So the tillage will be little to none when compared
[00:08:39.300]to annual crops such as corn and wheat.
[00:08:42.570]So basically our future costs will be
[00:08:46.260]with fertilizer in the next years.
[00:08:51.120]Here I have a table with the nutritional comparison between
[00:08:55.740]Kernza flour and grain with wheat, Kernza, and grain.
[00:09:00.330]So as a close relative to wheat,
[00:09:02.790]Kernza has also application in the food industry.
[00:09:06.330]So just pointing two elements of the table,
[00:09:10.170]Kernza can contain a a higher protein
[00:09:12.960]and higher dietary fiber when compared to wheat,
[00:09:17.492]but lacks in some gluten components
[00:09:20.940]which can limit the usage in baking goods.
[00:09:24.600]But we already can find some products made
[00:09:27.390]with Kernza grain in the market.
[00:09:30.450]So we have beer, flour, cereal,
[00:09:34.290]among other products already commercialized in the market.
[00:09:40.500]This map is showing you acres of Kernza grown nationwide.
[00:09:45.840]So some data from the Land Institute says
[00:09:48.930]that in 2022 we had around 5,000 active acres
[00:09:54.000]of Kernza and 54 license growers.
[00:09:58.320]Most part of these growers are are located
[00:10:01.110]in the states of Montana, Kansas, and Minnesota.
[00:10:04.800]But as you can see here in the map,
[00:10:06.660]we have several other states already growing the crop.
[00:10:13.110]If you are interested in growing Kernza
[00:10:16.410]or becoming a farmer and diversify your production.
[00:10:20.850]You can find more information
[00:10:22.980]through the link kernza.org/growers.
[00:10:26.820]You will find information about how to apply to grow Kernza,
[00:10:30.900]or you can directly contact the Land Institute.
[00:10:34.500]They are located in Salina, Kansas,
[00:10:36.990]but you can find them through their website.
[00:10:41.010]Here I have some QR codes.
[00:10:43.230]If you point your camera, you'll be directed
[00:10:46.240]to the Kernza Production Basics Guide,
[00:10:49.260]and the Kernza Planting Equipment Recommendations Guide
[00:10:52.410]which has a lot of helpful information
[00:10:55.590]on how to grow this new crop.
[00:10:59.340]And finally, you can also point your camera to this QR code.
[00:11:04.860]You will be directed
[00:11:06.000]to the Perennial Promise Growers co-op website
[00:11:10.200]which is basically a cooperative format by farmers
[00:11:13.920]and researchers, and they are trying to provide services
[00:11:17.820]for farmers interested in growing Kernza
[00:11:20.250]or for brands and processors.
[00:11:22.380]So definitely if you are interested,
[00:11:24.450]this is a great resource that you can take a look at.
[00:11:29.250]Thank you very much.
[00:11:31.050]Feel free to reach to reach out to me by email
[00:11:33.960]or social media, and I'll be glad to answer any questions.
[00:11:37.980]Thank you.
[00:11:40.860]Yes, we looked
[00:11:41.790]into Kernza a few years ago.
[00:11:44.100]It might be two or three now.
[00:11:45.600]At that time they said that really there was not enough seed
[00:11:49.830]and they were not taking applications.
[00:11:51.510]So has that changed in the past couple years?
[00:11:54.000]Yes.
[00:11:54.930]So basically what you can do is contact the Land Institute.
[00:11:59.370]I know they are every year accepting new farmers,
[00:12:03.240]so if you are interested you can contact them.
[00:12:05.970]They will show you how to apply to be a grower,
[00:12:09.930]but I'm pretty sure that you can apply
[00:12:12.750]from now on to and to be a grower if you are interested.
[00:12:19.230]Any more questions?
[00:12:21.499][Audience Member 2] I have one here in the back corner.
[00:12:23.370]It sounds like it's still a market
[00:12:24.870]that's being developed quite a bit,
[00:12:27.570]so I suppose that's probably why they're doing
[00:12:28.950]some sort of application for growing.
[00:12:30.720]What is the food place or the food grade Kernza,
[00:12:34.160]is that kind of the main market for this perennial,
[00:12:37.800]or what are other opportunities that could come out of this?
[00:12:41.580]I mean, I told them this sounds like
[00:12:43.020]in discovery mode kind of a little bit,
[00:12:44.760]and they're still figuring a lot of stuff out.
[00:12:47.190]Yeah, so I'm not sure
[00:12:48.960]about how is the market going,
[00:12:51.450]maybe Andrea can help me answer this,
[00:12:54.660]but I know this is growing as I show you
[00:12:57.750]we already have some brands, some processors working on
[00:13:01.800]products made with Kernza grain.
[00:13:04.020]But I don't know, Andrea, if you want to continue it?
[00:13:09.414](indistinct voice)
[00:13:11.720]So to answer the first question
[00:13:13.110]to the seed supply, it continues to be
[00:13:14.970]an issue even sometimes for us for research.
[00:13:16.800]It's not like we, you know, so it's
[00:13:20.640]like trying to match the supply
[00:13:22.080]and demand of who wants to grow, and you know what,
[00:13:26.604]and my understanding though, in terms of other markets
[00:13:29.460]like other than food grade, I mean
[00:13:30.810]what I would just say is like for cattle, right?
[00:13:33.480]I think from a dual use crop, low input standpoint,
[00:13:36.600]and all the potential that we have
[00:13:38.010]in Nebraska for that, it has a lot of potential.
[00:13:42.300]I once heard a Kernza producer say,
[00:13:45.510]my wheat crop in Kansas fails every fourth year
[00:13:48.080]or so, or every third year.
[00:13:49.470]So like if I get any grain off of it,
[00:13:51.780]then it's a benefit, right?
[00:13:53.520]So I think that in from that standpoint
[00:13:56.490]to get it to pencil out or on less productive acres,
[00:14:00.150]I mean the land institute will talk folks
[00:14:02.040]through that, but it's, yeah, this
[00:14:05.100]like supply and demand is difficult to match. (laughing)
[00:14:11.756][Audience Member 3] I have a question.
[00:14:12.589]We have time for one more question, yep.
[00:14:14.689][Audience Member 3] Seeing the root mess
[00:14:16.080]that it had and what would be any benefits,
[00:14:19.860]or is there any benefits as far as cover crop and biomass,
[00:14:24.090]and all that kinda stuff, and you know, destroying it,
[00:14:27.570]feeding it in the fall, but redestroying it again
[00:14:30.810]for another crop in the springtime.
[00:14:35.490]So yeah, just maybe benefits
[00:14:37.050]over cover crops in terms-- Yeah,
[00:14:39.090]using it as a cover crop. Oh, using it
[00:14:40.582]as a cover crop?
[00:14:42.763]I mean we haven't used Kernza as a cover crop.
[00:14:47.190]It is indeed a great crop
[00:14:49.830]if you want to keep your ground covered
[00:14:52.440]for the whole year because once you plant, Kernza will,
[00:14:57.380]you are gonna harvest, you are gonna swath
[00:14:59.310]and bale the stems and leaves,
[00:15:01.890]and your ground will keep it covered.
[00:15:04.290]But I'm not sure, I don't think we use Kernza
[00:15:06.810]as a cover crop because you can use as a dual purpose crop.
[00:15:11.310]But I'm not sure about as a cover crop, right.

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2023 Eastern Nebraska Soil Health Conference - Emerging Topics 2

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