MINNEAPOLIS – The next time you order a beer, it might contain a climate-change-fighting ingredient. It’s part of a movement involving researchers in Minnesota and elsewhere to scale up crop production of Kernza. Sometimes called a super grain, it’s a perennial crop, which requires less tilling and fertilizer because it grows back year after year.
The University of Minnesota says Kernza has deep roots and excels at soaking up nitrates in the soil. Those long roots also draw down harmful carbon, otherwise known as a greenhouse gas, from the air and trap it underground, directly mitigating climate change.
It is also being tried out in Minnesota establishments. St. Paul’s Bang Brewery, which uses organic ingredients, has tried Kernza for some of its recipes. Co-owner Sandy Boss Febbo likes its potential and hopes it will be a favorite of consumers down the road. She cites cost barriers as one reason Kernza isn’t a commercially viable product yet in the brewing industry.
Another partner in the movement is the Land Institute, which hopes Kernza can catch up to wheat in terms of availability and even surpass it in terms of economic benefit, within the next couple of decades. Beyond beer, there’s Kernza flour, which is available online.
Comments