Written by Jose Perez, OFRF’s Analysis & Schooling Engagement Coordinator
Bob Quinn is a well known fourth era natural farmer rising grains within the plains of Montana. His farm grows winter wheat, alfalfa, and different grains. Bob is a very long time natural farmer and advocate and is acknowledged because the pioneer of Kamut, a sort of wheat that’s now produced by greater than 250 natural producers. His newest enterprise is the Quinn Institute, a just lately launched non revenue farm devoted to conducting natural farming analysis. This 12 months he’s additionally a taking part farmer within the first cohort of OFRF’s Farmer Led Trials (FLT) Program.
Picture at proper: A view of the analysis plot crop traces rising in Could.
A quest for a hardy white winter wheat
Rising spring wheat on this area has grow to be more and more dangerous for farmers on account of local weather change challenges that embrace shorter wet seasons and sooner than traditional summer season warmth onset. Years in the past Bob felt that rising a hardy and resilient white winter wheat was a superb answer, however he discovered no domestically tailored varieties obtainable. Winter wheat varieties are planted within the fall, go dormant within the winter, and are harvested in the summertime. These varieties have extra time to get established and will scale back the danger of crop loss as a result of local weather change patterns talked about above. Bob regarded for choices that may present promise within the genetic range saved within the USDA Nationwide Small Grain Seed Assortment. When Bob heard about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program, he thought it could be a superb alternative for analysis collaboration.
