JEFF LOEHR FARM
Jeff Loehr is a fifth generation Iowa farmer who has been farming since 1980. On this farm near Moorland, Jeff sis currently growing Kernza®, which is a perennial intermediate wheatgrass that was developed by the Land Institute and the University of Minnesota. Jeff seeded his first crop of Kernza® in September of 2021 and harvested it in August of 2022. Jeff currently must ship his product out of state for processing, which requires special cleaning equipment and increases transportation costs.
Jeff’s Choose Iowa grant project will purchase specially designed, dedicated equipment to process Kernza® perennial intermediate wheatgrass here in Iowa. This equipment, which will include a custom designed cleaning and de-hulling system, will allow Jeff to increase efficiency and expand his market.
Jeff expects to increase the amount of Kernza® that he can process and sell to other producers. He also anticipates that overall business sales and revenue will increase. This project will support Jeff’s passion of producing a high-quality product for his customers and Iowa agriculture.
