Farmers' Take On Perennial Wheat for Its Many Possibilities-A Field Day Assessment.

Perennial wheat (PW) has been in the experimental phase for over 85 years. To date, there is still too much variability in the grain lines to promote the crop to farmers.  Yet, farmers seeking economically attractive and environmentally sound practices to implement on their farms are anxious to try this crop, It offers the possibility of a perennial ground cover and several possible crop values, ranging from grain harvest to animal grazing.  This farmer participatory extension tool document farmers’ unique perspectives and engages them in the process to develop a new crop that has a wide range of challenges and possibilities. Farmers are integrators and understand their systems, thus documenting and integrating their views is essential.  To identify farmers’ expectations and criteria the MSU Perennial Wheat Team conducted a farmer assessment of suitability for possible PW lines for Michigan farms, using the results from the in-depth in-person interviews to guide the question development.   Farmers from a wide range of farm-types (grain, vegetable, animal and fruit) who identify as organic or sustainable evaluated the lines growing at the KBS field site in Gull Lake, Mi during a summer field day.  Farmers evaluated the plants for possible uses on their farms and qualities they value. Criteria considered stand establishment, grain size and quality; yield potential, field management and possible value of expected use(s).  Following the individual assessment the farmers convened in a round table discussion to identify potential risks and benefits of including such a new crop in their farming system.  These farmer-identified attributes are being incorporated with the continued work of each team member, with emphasis on the relative research areas including social sciences, economics, and agronomy.