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SCIENCEWednesday 8 March 2017
General Mills boosts eco-friendly grain Kernza
STEVE KARNOWSKI succeeds in the long term, much lower than conven-
Lynch said. tional wheat, though im-
Associated Press Kernza was domesticated proving. The grains are tiny,
at the Land Institute, based more like grass seeds than
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A in Salina, Kansas, which has conventional wheat, which
been working for decades makes milling more compli-
sweet, nutty-tasting new to develop a more natural, cated. But it has some ad-
sustainable agricultural sys- vantages in addition to its
grain called Kernza is get- tem. Intermediate wheat- environmental benefits, in-
grass, which had been cluding higher protein lev-
ting a big boost from food used as cattle feed, was els. The nutty flavor comes
one of the first perennials to from its high bran content.
giant General Mills, which is show promise for feeding DeHaan and Wyse agreed
humans, said Lee DeHaan, that General Mills is making
intrigued by the potentially a lead scientist there. a huge contribution to their
The institute has been col- work by creating a market
big environmental benefits laborating for several years for the new grain so farmers
with the University of Min- will grow it, and by support-
of the drought-resistant nesota, where agronomy ing the development of
professor Donald Wyse crops that provide ecologi-
crop with long roots that also tackles the challenges cal benefits while feeding
of developing perennials people on a large scale.
doesn’t need to be re- into food crops. “All grain “We’re looking at a com-
production in the world is pany that has the capac-
planted every year. produced by annual plants ity to produce products on
that are only on the land- a larger scale and market
General Mills on Tuesday scape for a short time,” them on a large scale,” De-
Wyse said. “Intermediate Haan said. “That’s where
announced partnerships wheatgrass — Kernza — we see these perennial
represents a big break- crops having to go, not just
with The Land Institute and through in the design of low-volume specialty pro-
new agricultural systems ducers but large-scale pro-
the University of Minneso- for the future.” Researchers duction that is going to be
have been experimenting producing change in agri-
ta to help commercialize In this undated photo provided by The Land Institute of Salina, with intermediate wheat- culture.” This represents the
Kernza, a wild relative of Kan., the top of a wheat floret is cut off, giving a technician ac- grass since the 1980s. second but largest major
move so far to commercial-
wheat, and to incorporate cess to the reproductive parts of the plant Associated Press It has taken time to do- ize Kernza, though some ar-
the grain into cereals and mesticate it into a crop tisanal bakeries and restau-
and breed varieties that rants have experimented
snacks under its Casca- ability officer for Golden The long roots benefit the are productive enough for with it. Patagonia Provisions
dian Farm organic brand. Valley-based General Mills, soil by helping store nu- commercial use. Because last fall teamed up with
The company hopes to put told The Associated Press trients and water, while it has been grown only Hopworks Urban Brewery
those products on grocery ahead of the announce- preventing erosion and on test plots until recently, of Portland, Oregon, to roll
store shelves early next ment.Kernza is the trade- reducing the leaching of there still isn’t much of it to out Long Root Ale, which
year. It’s also urging other mark for the grain, which nitrogen into ground and go around. is sold primarily at Whole
food companies to help comes from the perennial surface waters. Kernza’s And there are challenges Foods stores in California,
create a market for Kernza. intermediate wheatgrass developers also think it that the researchers and Oregon and Washington
“It’s rare that you find plant. Its dense roots ex- could reduce greenhouse General Mills are still ad- state. q
something like this that, tend over 10 feet — twice gases from food produc- dressing. Yields are still
if you work at it, has so as deep as conventional tion by trapping significant
many environmental ben- annual wheat. Unlike con- amounts of carbon in the
efits associated with it. So ventional wheat, farmers soil. It even provides good
that’s one of the reasons who grow it don’t need to habitat for pollinators.
we’re excited about this,” till the soil and replant it ev- General Mills said it plans to
Jerry Lynch, chief sustain- ery year. buy a significant amount
CALL FOR OUR LIVE GIRLS SHOW of Kernza via The Land In-
stitute, though it doesn’t
want to specify how much
for competitive reasons. It
will also donate $500,000
to the University of Minne-
sota’s Forever Green Initia-
tive to support advanced
research into breeding to
increase yields and into
how best to grow, mill and
market the grain so that it
