Trendy new wheat being studied for climate change potential in the Maritimes 

A PhD student at Dalhousie University is growing a trendy new wheat she says could be an option for Maritime farmers looking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 

Kernza is a wheatgrass that has attracted the attention of celebrities and chefs around the world, inspiring new products including beer, whiskey, pasta and pancakes. There was even a "Kernza-Con" conference in Minnesota last month.

Brittany Cole first became interested in Kernza while working for the P.E.I. Department of Agriculture on a climate adaptation project.

Now, she's doing a PhD project on the wheat. 

"It is a perennial, so it comes back every year and it has a really deep rooting system. That makes it more resilient to climate changes and extreme weather from year to year," Cole said.

"Adaptation-wise, it is going to have deeper roots. So in terms of holding the soil together, preventing soil erosion, longer lifespan, it's just better for less intensive agriculture on our land."

'It's a big deal'

Kernza was developed by The Land Institute, which is based in Kansas. 

Cole is trying to determine how the wheat will grow in the Maritimes. 

She said the topsoil here is not as deep as in the U.S. Midwest, but that she's using a seed developed at the University of Manitoba which is more suited to a Canadian climate.

Cole will have her first harvest in a couple of weeks. She said she's excited to see what kind of yield she gets.  

"It's the first time it's ever been grown in Atlantic Canada and the Maritimes. So it's a big deal, to try something new and see how it does," she said.

"That's a big component of finding solutions for climate change. And with our extreme weather patterns, finding alternative options so that we can still keep feeding ourselves."

Reducing emissions

Cole said Kernza is a dual crop that can be cut as forage to feed livestock, and then harvested as a grain later in the season.

"You can keep it for longer. But in terms of the grain harvest potential, four years is kind of the best sweet spot for getting a good yield," she said. 

Because it comes back for multiple years, that means less plowing and tilling for farmers.

"It would certainly reduce the equipment greenhouse gas emissions, going out in the fields, the number of passes, your fuel consumption to do that," Cole said. 

"It also has a carbon storage potential for the deep rooting system. And the fact that it's in the ground for several years, you're storing carbon for that time." 

Cole's largest Kernza plot is at the Harrington Research Station in P.E.I. She also has sites at the Dalhousie Truro campus, the Fredericton Agriculture Canada station, and the Annapolis Valley.

Ultimately, she said would like to see the trial continue as a bigger project, but that it all depends on how well it does.

Cole would also like to see a variety of local products made with the Kernza grain, like beer.

They could be similar to what Patagonia is already producing. The clothing company has developed beer and pasta made with Kernza.

Interest in new crops

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist Aaron Mills is one of Cole's supervisors.

"There's a lot of interest now in perennial crops in general around the world to reduce the amount of plowing," Mills said. 

"Every time we plow the soil, we break up the microbial community that's there. We open up the soil to erosion. There's carbon losses every time we plow the soil."

The Atlantic Grains Council and Mitacs, are providing financial support for the PhD project.

Grains Council research coordinator Alan Miller said producers are always looking for new crops to be able to diversify.

But he said there will still be more work to do if the research does show Kernza has potential. 

If it does grow well here, then we have to look at what markets is it best suited for​​​​​​.—Alan Miller, Atlantic Grains Council 

"If it does grow well here, then we have to look at what markets is it best suited for," Miller said.

"The grain that you harvest is a little bit different than our traditional grain. So we would have to work on finding some unique markets for it. And on the forage side, it would be a big help for our livestock industry."