Recap: All Things Kernza® – A Virtual Discussion

On March 25th, Healthy Harvest of North Iowa hosted a virtual Lunch & Learn to explore Kernza®, a perennial grain gaining attention for its environmental benefits and versatility in food production.

Wendy Johnson of Joia Food & Fiber Farm and Emily Murray of Carbo Load Baked Goods, both based in Floyd County, joined the conversation to share their real-life experiences growing, marketing, and baking with Kernza®.

What We Covered

• Wendy shared lessons learned from trialing Kernza® on her farm, including how it fits into regenerative agriculture systems and the challenges of building a market for a new crop.

• Emily talked about baking with the perennial grain, how it performs in recipes, and how customers have responded to its unique flavor and nutritional profile.

Kernza® has several potential benefits—it can be harvested for multiple years from a single planting, grazed and used for grain in the same season, and its deep root systems help improve soil health and water quality. While still relatively new, it’s drawing interest from producers and makers interested in climate-friendly crops.

Resources + Rewatch

• Watch the recorded session

• Perennial Promise Kernza® Cooperative

• Joia Food & Fiber Farm

• Carbo Load Baked Goods

• Find more local food

• Support our work

Thanks to everyone who joined us—and to Wendy and Emily for sharing their insights. We’ll continue to explore topics like this in future Lunch & Learns and encourage producers and community members to get involved.