March 20, 2026
Director of Partnerships and Outreach Ann Kirby and Director of Commercialization Colin Cureton attended the Savanna Institute's 2026 Perennial Farm Gathering or PFG in Dubuque, Iowa last week. PFG has been a keystone regional event in recent years where the community of partners advancing perennial, regenerative, CLC agriculture convene, share, and reflect. A few highlights relevant to the Forever Green community are as follows:
- In the pre-conference social governance session, Regenerative Agriculture Alliance Executive Director Diane Christofore shared how meaningful the MDA Developing Markets for CLC Crops program has been for their ecosystem of partners, as well as Forever Green's SME Program which Organic Compound is participating in to develop a shelf-stable hazelnut milk.
- Keynote speaker Wendy Johnson of Jóia Food & Fiber Farm championed Kernza® perennial grain and Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative as one of what she called "the critical businesses unlocking new opportunities for growers by developing new markets."
- Katalyst, LLC Founder & Principal Kata Young presented the results of the new Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) for Wisconsin Agriculture: A Roadmap to Net-Zero Agricultural Emission by 2050—which heavily featured CLC crops as NCS solutions—followed by a panel on rural economic development with staff of the Savanna Institute, Forever Green, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
- The legendary Wes Jackson, Founder of The Land Institute, received the Savanna Institute's annual Deep Roots award, which honors individuals for lifetime achievements in advancing the science, practice, and adoption of perennial agriculture. Wes Jackson was present and addressed attendees, he turns 90 this year.
- Forever Green farmer partner Wendy Johnson was the Gathering's keynote speaker. Her talk opened with a video telling the story of Jóia Food and Fiber Farm's return to perennial agriculture.
- PFG was the official book launch for the new anthology Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods! Co-Editors Liz Carlisle and Aubrey Streit-Krug along with book contributors engaged attendees and signed copies. Forever Green will host a local book launch event in Minneapolis on Tuesday, March 24, 2026!