blue corn & kernza® hush puppy mix
EASTERN BLUEBIRD - Blue Corn hush puppy mix
Why This Mascot: A friendly woodchuck lives near the Sustain-A-Grain cleaning facility in Henderson, NE, where our Kernza gets cleaned. This little neighbor represents the wildlife that thrives around regenerative grain operations.
Fun Facts:
- Also called groundhogs, they can climb trees and swim - surprisingly agile for their size
- Their burrows aerate soil naturally - just like Kernza roots!
- They hibernate for up to 5 months and wake up 30% lighter
- Their burrows can be up to 66 feet long with multiple chambers
They have a special “alarm whistle” to warn others of predators
Biodiversity & Ecosystems
Native plants: Common Milkweed
Insects: Leaf beetles, predaceous spiders
Birds (Merlin): Eastern Kingbird, Dickcissel, Red-winged Blackbird
Observations: The perennial cover crop Reduced/eliminated pesticide use, constant above-ground biomass have provided healthy habitat for over-wintering species and in-season beneficial insects.
Soil Health & Emissions
Our blue corn production uses perennial cover crops. These cover crops go dormant when the corn emerges, and wakes up towards the end of the growing season. Our perennial cover crops start a cycle of regeneration for our farmers. Why?
- Increasing Soil Health: We a constant living root system in place, soil microbes stay active and healthy with perennial food and habitat.
- Reduced Soil Erosion: More roots in the soil means less soil leaves the field when bad weather happens. Our farmers can reduce erosion vs conventional corn by almost eighty percent (!!) during heavy rain events.
Water Impacts
Continuous, living cover on farmland benefits downstream water users by capturing excess nutrients in soil, reducing erosion during heavy rains, and increasing water infiltration.
The use of perennial cover crops on our blue corn farms helps increase the soils ability to manage water and helps regenerate ecosystems at your food’s source.