AP report profiles researchers exploring perennial Kernza as adaptation
Bryce Black farms about 4,500 acres near Beloit, Kansas, growing corn, soybeans, and milo alongside his winter wheat. The 2025-2026 growing season brought the lowest winter wheat yield he has recorded since taking over the family operation in 2017.
A late October 2025 rain had initially left Black optimistic about the 1,800 acres of winter wheat he had planted. That optimism faded when a dry winter and spring brought extreme drought during the critical period when the wheat needed moisture to establish itself.
Black ended up harvesting about 1,500 acres. The yield per acre was the lowest he has recorded since taking over the farm.
“It was just a grit your teeth and get through it type of deal,” Black said. “It is disheartening, you know? And it’s kind of hard to know what to do.”
The drought experience is part of a broader pattern in which farmers often look for new ways to protect both their crops and their bottom lines, according to the AP report on the season. Perennial grain Kernza is among the alternatives drawing interest from researchers and farmers, the AP report says. The wire’s article is titled “Farmers are growing a new grain to combat climate change.”
The AP report profiles researchers working on Kernza adoption, including Lee DeHaan, David Mueller, Aaron Gaeddert, Laura van der Pol, and Brandon Schlautman.
For farmers in the region, perennial grains represent one potential response to changing growing conditions on the Great Plains, according to the AP’s reporting.