Farmers turn to perennial grains as one solution to extreme weather

Photo: Field of ripening intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) at The Land Institute’s research farm in Salina, Kansas – July 30, 2008. Photo credit: Dehaan via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0 US. Article by Joshua A. Bickel and Alexa St. John. AP News – September 4, 2026.

BELOIT, Kan. (AP) — Bryce Black kneels in a wheat field battered by intense drought. He holds two strands, remarking on how small the seed head is compared with what’s normal. After a late October rain last year, the fourth-generation farmer was optimistic about his 1,800 acres (728 hectares) of winter wheat. But a dry winter and spring brought extreme drought when the wheat needed moisture to establish itself. He ended up harvesting about 1,500 acres (607 hectares), but the yield was the lowest he’s had since taking over his family’s farm in 2017. […]

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