General Mills Works to Commercialize Soil-Friendly Grain

General Mills and its organic food products subsidiary Cascadian Farm launched an effort with The Land Institute (TLI) to commercialize organic Kernza, a perennial relative of wheat said to offer restorative benefits to the soil it is grown in, the American food company announced Tuesday.

“We are excited to incorporate the perennial grain Kernza into our foods and our organic farming. We believe in the potential of this grain to make a positive ecological impact,” said Cascadian Farm vice president Carla Vernon in a statement.

Use of the grain, which has a sweet and nutty taste, is envisioned in cereal and snack products, according to General Mills. The plant’s deep roots provide benefits to soil health, aid in carbon sequestration, water retention, and may enhance the overall wildlife habitat. Cascadian Farm entered an agreement to purchase an amount of the grain from farmers operating test-sized pilot plots. With the TLI, a non-profit sustainable agriculture research organization, Cascadian Farm and General Mills hope to expand cultivation to a commercial scale.

“Research has demonstrated that the ecological benefits of Kernza perennial grain for agricultural systems are remarkable,” Dr. Lee DeHaan, lead scientist at TLI, said in a statement. “The length, size, and long life of the roots enable the grain to provide measurable soil health benefits and drought resistance while preventing soil erosion and storing critical nutrients.”

Cascadian Farm will cultivate a pilot crop of the grain at its home farm along the Skagit River in Washington this fall, monitoring its progress with TLI. General Mills is contributing $500,000 to the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota in partnership with TLI to support research on Kernza cultivation.

“This partnership with General Mills and investment by Cascadian Farm promises to be a significant boost, helping take this planet-friendly grain to the next level of visibility as a food ingredient. Additionally we anticipate it will allow researchers to more precisely measure the impact of widespread Kernza perennial grain cultivation on carbon sequestration,” said Dr. DeHaan.

Cascadian Farms has been a General Mills company since 2000.

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