HELENA, MONTANA – In an era grappling with climate change, soil degradation, and public health concerns, a quiet revolution is taking root in agricultural fields across the United States. Perennial grains, a visionary category of crops that grow back year after year, are emerging as a powerful "win-win" solution, offering profound benefits for both planetary health and human nutrition. However, their full potential hinges on a critical factor: widespread adoption by consumers.

The urgency of this agricultural transformation became vividly clear to fourth-generation farmer and rancher Jody Manuel in 2024. Operating in the expansive landscapes of Hill County, Montana, Manuel embarked on planting alfalfa in an oat field. He recalls the ideal conditions – an optimal seedbed, followed by a gentle, timely rain just as he concluded his work. It was, by all accounts, a farmer’s dream start. Yet, what began as a blessing quickly turned into a deluge. The skies unleashed an unprecedented five inches of rain over 48 hours, transforming his meticulously prepared field into a scene of heartbreaking erosion. Muddy streams carved their way across the land, washing away precious topsoil and freshly planted seeds. Manuel, surveying the damage in his rubber boots, felt the weight of his loss.

Just two miles down the road, however, lay a stark contrast. Another alfalfa stand, planted not with oats but with Kernza, an intermediate wheatgrass, had weathered the same ferocious storm. To Manuel’s astonishment, there wasn’t so much as a puddle. This field, once as stubborn as concrete, had become a "sponge" for water, thanks to the remarkable root system of Kernza. This eye-opening experience underscored the profound difference perennial grains could make in the face of increasingly volatile weather patterns.

Manuel is not alone. He is part of a growing vanguard of farmers experimenting with perennial grains, driven by the promise of improved soil health, superior water retention and filtration, and significantly reduced input, labor, and seed costs. Simultaneously, a burgeoning number of food companies are integrating these innovative grains into their product lines, from artisan breads and wholesome crackers to cookies, pasta, and even craft beers. Proponents argue that these new perennial grains hold the key to fundamentally reimagining our global food system, fostering climate resilience, mitigating agriculture’s environmental footprint, and yielding delicious, highly nutritious, and versatile staple crops. The linchpin to unlocking this potential, however, lies beyond the fields and processing plants – it rests squarely with consumers needing to embrace and consume more of these sustainable grains.

Deep Roots for a Resilient Future: The Science of Perenniality

The conventional agricultural landscape of the U.S. is dominated by annual grains and oilseeds, which, according to the latest U.S. Census of Agriculture, comprise a staggering 69 percent of harvested cropland. A pervasive practice, particularly in monocropping systems where the same crop is planted year after year, involves leaving fields bare during the off-season. This vulnerability exposes the soil to the relentless forces of wind and rain, dramatically increasing the risk of erosion.

Compounding this issue is the widespread reliance on frequent tillage – the mechanical turning over of soil. While a traditional practice, tillage is now widely recognized for its detrimental effects: it degrades soil structure, depletes organic matter, disrupts the delicate balance of microbial life, and accelerates nutrient loss. Crucially, it also releases significant amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issues a dire warning: by 2050, an estimated 90 percent of the Earth’s vital topsoil – the uppermost layer essential for growing 95 percent of the world’s food – is projected to be at risk, largely due to decades of unsustainable farming practices like tillage.

Perennial crops offer a stark contrast. Unlike their annual counterparts, which complete their life cycle within a single growing season and require replanting each year, perennials remain in the ground for multiple years. This continuous ground cover provides invaluable protection to the topsoil, shielding it from erosive forces. More impressively, perennial grains develop extensive, intricate root systems that can penetrate the soil to depths of up to 10 feet or more. These deep roots are not merely anchors; they are active agents of soil restoration. Research has consistently demonstrated their capacity to rapidly and significantly improve soil health by boosting organic matter content, dramatically enhancing water retention, fostering thriving microbial communities, and accessing deeper nutrient reserves. This robust infrastructure makes perennial crops inherently more resilient to environmental stressors, including drought and the extreme weather events that farmers like Manuel are increasingly experiencing.

Bob Quinn, an organic farmer and plant geneticist in Montana, articulates this critical advantage: "We’re looking at ‘climate chaos’ generally making the weather more extreme, and you have to have more resilience in your crops to survive that. Perennial crops have more resilience than annual crops, [in terms of] the conservation of water and long-term soil-building." This resilience translates into more stable yields and less risk for farmers in a changing climate.

Beyond physical stability, these deep root systems play a crucial role in ecological restoration. They act as natural filters, efficiently absorbing excess nutrients from fertilizers, thereby preventing them from leaching into groundwater and contributing to downstream water pollution. Furthermore, healthy soils, nurtured by perennial systems, typically require fewer external inputs – meaning less fertilizer, fewer pesticides, and a reduced need for other chemicals. This not only lessens the environmental and public health impact of agriculture but also offers tangible economic benefits to farmers by saving precious time and money on input costs. The long-term establishment of perennial fields also means reduced labor for annual tilling and planting, freeing up farmer resources.

The Kernza Pioneer: A Piece of the Puzzle

While the concept of perennial crops is ancient (think fruit trees, nut trees, or asparagus), the development of perennial grains is a relatively recent, yet transformative, innovation. Early efforts in perennial grain development date back to the 1920s, but it wasn’t until 2016 that Kernza, an intermediate wheatgrass, became the first perennial grain to enter the commercial market. This breakthrough was the culmination of decades of dedicated breeding and domestication efforts by The Land Institute, a Kansas-based nonprofit founded by Wes Jackson, a visionary proponent of perennial agriculture.

Kernza is currently cultivated on approximately 3,300 acres across 15 U.S. states, signaling a clear and growing interest from both farmers and the food industry. Its adoption by major food companies underscores its commercial viability and unique appeal: Kernza is now featured in certain General Mills cereal brands, Patagonia Provisions beer, Kodiak Cakes waffle mixes, and a variety of artisanal food and beverage products. This market penetration, though still nascent, represents a significant step forward for perennial agriculture.

However, the transition to any new crop carries inherent risks for farmers, and Kernza, in its current state, faces a key challenge: it is relatively low-yielding compared to established annual grains like wheat. For farmers to fully embrace these environmentally beneficial crops, they require a clear economic incentive – a commitment from buyers to pay a fair price that compensates for the lower initial yields and the perceived risk of adopting a novel crop.

Ben Penner, a grain farmer in Minnesota who has been growing Kernza since 2019, articulates the economic reality: "Kernza has tremendous environmental benefits… But no matter what, it has to make economic sense. It has to compete with corn and soybeans and the expensive purchase-price dollars. It’s a really tough economic equation." This highlights the need for robust market demand and pricing structures that reflect the ecological value of these grains.

Despite these challenges, Manuel, who manages the largest Kernza-producing acreage in the country, views Kernza not as a direct replacement for wheat but as a crucial stepping-stone. He sees it as the vanguard for future, higher-yielding perennial grain crops that will eventually become financially sustainable for all farmers. His visit to The Land Institute in Kansas provided a glimpse into this future, where he witnessed test plots of perennial wheat varieties that closely resembled the full-sized annual wheat varieties familiar to farmers. "I can see what is coming down the pipe, and it’s much better in terms of growing, harvesting, processing, and yield," Manuel enthuses. "I can imagine grain production being completely revolutionized."

The Land Institute is actively engaged in developing perennial varieties for other vital staple crops, including sorghum, rice, oilseeds, and legumes. Concurrently, other institutions, such as Washington State University’s Breadlab, have made significant strides, developing their own perennial wheat variety, Salish Blue. Jen Mayer, director of crop stewardship at The Land Institute, emphasizes that these pioneering grains represent merely the genesis of a broader paradigm shift. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a food system that provides farmers with a wider array of options beyond the conventional, often fragile, annual cropping systems prevalent today. "Kernza isn’t the be-all end-all; it just happens to be the first one," Mayer clarifies, underscoring its role as a trailblazer.

Cereal grains – encompassing wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, rye, and sorghum – are the bedrock of global food security, contributing approximately 50 percent of dietary energy worldwide, according to Nutrition Reviews. They form the basis of countless staples, from breads and pasta to breakfast cereals, tortillas, crackers, and cookies. Given their central role in the human diet, the potential impact of improving these grains, both environmentally and nutritionally, is nothing short of enormous.

A Rare Win-Win: Nutrition Meets Sustainability

Beyond their environmental prowess, perennial grains offer compelling advantages for human health, a factor that Manuel believes should resonate strongly with consumers. "I think there’s plenty of excitement around perennial agriculture from the standpoint of climate change," Manuel states. "But to us, it should be even more exciting from the standpoint of health-conscious consumers, because suddenly there’s a system that shows a whole lot of promise to be able to farm chemical-free in the very near future." The inherent resilience and reduced input needs of perennial systems pave the way for agricultural practices that minimize or eliminate synthetic chemicals, addressing a significant consumer concern.

The nutritional profile of Kernza, in particular, is highly impressive. The Land Institute reports that Kernza boasts a 50 percent higher protein content, 129 percent higher dietary fiber, and a 65 percent higher overall mineral content compared to traditional whole-wheat flour. Specific micronutrients show even more dramatic increases, with calcium being 267 percent higher and selenium a remarkable 492 percent higher. Similarly, Salish Blue, the perennial wheat variety developed by WSU Breadlab, has demonstrated promising nutritional results. Research associate Robin Morgan, PhD, explains that perennial grain seeds, in general, tend to contain higher levels of vitamins, polyphenols, antioxidants, and proteins than annual wheat. "These smaller seeds have a different ratio of all of these different components, a disproportionate amount more of these things [besides starch]," Morgan elaborates, suggesting that their unique physiological development contributes to their enhanced nutrient density.

For a consumer base increasingly attuned to both personal health and environmental impact, perennial grains present a rare and powerful "win-win" proposition: the opportunity to protect and regenerate soils while simultaneously enjoying healthy, delicious, and nutrient-dense food. Jen Mayer from The Land Institute believes this dual benefit should be at the forefront of the perennial grain narrative. "The ecological and environmental benefits of these grains are massively important, but when we’re talking about Kernza, it’s really about how delicious and nutritious it is," Mayer asserts. "It’s incredibly beneficial to human health."

Embracing Versatility: Cooking with Perennial Grains

To truly drive consumer demand and unlock the full potential of perennial grains, understanding their culinary versatility is paramount. While Kernza flour makes delicious bread, Mayer urges consumers to think beyond typical wheat flour applications. "It is its own food," she emphasizes, highlighting its unique flavor and texture profile.

Whole Kernza grains, when cooked, offer a slightly sweet, nutty flavor and a satisfyingly chewy, firm texture. This makes them an excellent and nutritious alternative to rice or barley in a myriad of dishes. They can be incorporated into vibrant grain bowls, hearty stir-fries, comforting soups and stews, or sprinkled as a crunchy topping on salads. Jody Manuel’s wife, Crystal, for instance, loves cooking Kernza simply like rice. Manuel raves, "It’s incredible. It’s a far superior rice alternative [in terms of] nutrient density, taste, flavor."

For bakers, Kernza flour introduces a distinctive character. While it can be used in a wide range of baked goods like bread, muffins, and cookies, experts recommend starting with a substitution ratio of 20 to 30 percent Kernza flour for wheat flour, then adjusting based on desired texture and flavor. Home brewers can also experiment with Kernza flakes to impart a slightly sweet, nutty, and earthy complexity to their beers, adding another dimension to this grain’s applications.

Currently, Kernza can be purchased directly online from specialized suppliers such as Sustain-A-Grain, Perennial Pantry, and Arcola Farms. It is also increasingly found in mainstream products from brands like Kodiak Cakes (flapjack and waffle mix), Cascadian Farm (Organic Kernza grains cereal), and Patagonia Provisions (Kernza lager and Organic fusilli pasta), making it more accessible to the average consumer.

The Path Forward: Cultivating Awareness and Demand

Raising awareness about the versatility, compelling nutritional benefits, and ecological impact of these perennial grains is crucial for driving consumer demand. This increased demand, in turn, will ripple through the entire supply chain, stimulating further research and development into higher-yielding varieties, supporting the expansion of cultivation, and promoting premium pricing models for farmers that reflect the true value of their sustainable practices. This virtuous cycle is essential for laying the groundwork for significant and lasting environmental impact.

"These are foods that are good for human health, they taste amazing, and they’re also good for the land that sustains us," Mayer concludes. "The food coming out of these plant breeding efforts provides an alternative to more fragile, annual systems… towards foods that can actually be a continuous part of our lives." The vision is clear: to move beyond extractive agricultural models towards regenerative ones, where the food we eat actively nourishes both our bodies and the planet. Perennial grains like Kernza are not just another ingredient; they represent a fundamental shift towards a more resilient, healthier, and truly sustainable food future. The choice now rests with consumers to join this quiet revolution, one delicious, nutrient-rich bite at a time.