Novel crops can save rural Minnesota's drinking water, U says

May 28, 20190

Brian Peterson – Star Tribune count

University of Minnesota assistant Prof. Jacob Jungers checked the growth of Kernza wheat grass at a field on the U's St. Paul campus. As a perennial, Kernza lives year after year, helping cleanse water and reduce nitrates.

As pollution from row crops threatens the drinking supply of more and more towns in Minnesota, a handful of scientists and state lawmakers are looking at a new strain of wheat to protect community wells and keep drinking water safe.

They'd like farmers to plant the land surrounding wellheads with novel hybrids developed at the University of Minnesota that reduce nitrate pollution while giving farmers a new cash crop. These "cash cover crops" require less fertilizer than corn and soybeans, which now dominate Minnesota farm fields, and send down deep roots year-round, preventing soil erosion and sucking up the chemicals that are contaminating well water.

http://www.startribune.com/novel-crops-can-save-rural-minnesota-s-drinking-water-u-says/510491722/