Market Farming

[Leslie Moyer <unschooler AT lrec.org>]

I'm not really following this conversation as I'm swamped at the moment, but 
thought I'd mention one thing. Please excuse me if it has already been 
mentioned....  Wes Jackson at The Land Institute has been working on 
perennializing annual grain crops. They have a nearly-market-ready perennial 
wheat that they're calling Kernza that they are trialing on a larger scale 
next year.  They sold some Kernza flour last year at their annual festival 
(The Prairie Festival) and it was fabulously delicious and it is more 
nutritious than (annual) wheat.  Grown as a perennial, Kernza has a MUCH 
longer root system that is able to hold soil against erosion, be far more 
drought tolerant, and require lower inputs. Jackson also intends it to grow 
as part of a polyculture--not as a monoculture crop--however, I'm less 
knowledgeable about how that harvest works.  Anyway--I don't believe it is 
available as a commercial seed crop yet, but I expect it will be in the next 
few years. And they MAY be looking for small growers who will trial it in 
their area(s).  By the way....the Kernza flour sold for $10/lb., though I 
think it was mostly a fundraiser for their research. We bought some to try it 
and I'm glad we did--best pancakes we ever ate!--but we couldn't afford to 
eat like that too often!  

--Leslie (who regularly attends The Prairie Festival, Salina, KS)