Presiding: Murray Schroeder
Meeting Room setup/takedown and general problem solving: Shaun Bullock and Crew
Inspiration:
Professor’s Quote:
Foundation Flash:
Introduction of Guests: Andrew Porter-Merrill
Visiting Rotarians:
Guests: Murray Schroeder introduced Leah Burgess.
Junior Rotarians/RYLA/Young RYLA/Exchange Students: Braxton, Lovely
Rotaract/Interact Students:
Humor: Eric Feuerstein
Foundation Card Game: Poker winners were Jaime Stine, Patti DiRosa, Keith Downey, Tom Wolfe, Kerry Geaser, Shaun Bullock, Hanna Eslinger
Announcements:
- District Conference is June 5-7 in Fort Collins.
- Murray Schroeder is working on apparel options. Stay tuned!
- Dave Hansen updated everyone on Read to Feed. We have met goal, but there is still time to donate. Dave read a nice note from the LEAF program director.
- Dave Hansen noted that the board elections are coming up. Reach out to Hanna Eslinger if you are interested in serving.
- Murray Schroder told the club that we have put in an application for Shaun Bullock to be District Rotarian of the Year.
Upcoming Programs:
- May 21: Laramie High School Mock Trial, Whitney Martin
- June 4: Club Assembly
- June 11: Our Immigrant Neighbors, Fr. Rob Spaulding
Rotarian of the Week: Murray Schroeder nominated the clean-up crew of about 11 Rotarians and for Tom Mangan for finding $1 on cleanup day and donating it to the Club Foundation!
Special Presentation: President Murray presented Nicole Hauser with her daughter, Alexa’s Junior Rotarian certificate. Ron Van Ekeren celebrated a birthday with a donation to the Club Foundation.
Songs: Happy Birthday, America the Beautiful
Program: The Land Institute, Tessa Peters
Introduction: John Freemam
Tessa Peters is the director of strategy for the Land Institute. She is originally from Gillette and has worked all over the world in geophysics. She became interested in food systems and moved into agricology and plant breeding/genetics.
The Land Institute started in Kansas, but their work is all over the world. The organization is active in 25+ countries and focuses on the idea of perennial grains. This is based on a specific prairie system with a lot of plant diversity that is almost all perennials.
The goal is to mimic that system in other areas. These are collaborative systems that build health soil, land, and communities. This is based on building cultural understanding and education about the plants.
A grain is a small, hard edible seed that is dried on plant before being harvested. It is rich in carbs, oil, or protein. Over 51% of all consumed calories come from grains (cereals and derived products). An additional 10.8% are oil crops, such as nuts and other derived products. Grains make up 13 million hectares of the worldwide land in crop.
A perennial regrows each year and does not have to be replanted. While some perennials are used in agriculture, they are mostly used in forage. Most of the grain used is annuals.
Perennials can help to reduce soil erosion, keep top soil in place, lead to reduced water use, and are more resilient to political and economic disturbance. There is also a global need to improve the quality of soil, water, and the atmosphere. This will improve human and environmental health.
Kernza is a perennial grain that the Land Institute has established. It is a long root in early stages of domestication for food production and supply chain development.
There are two growers in Wyoming, in Chugwater and Albin, and several research areas. You can purchase Kernza products – check for Cascadia Farms in grocery stores. It is in many pantry staples and beer. It performs like a soft white or rye. It has a nutty, honey flavor and is less bitter than wheat.
The Land Institute is mostly funded through philanthropic giving and some government funding. It is currently working on five breeding programs.
Globally, the Land Institute has 48,995 perennial grain farmers over 17,038 hectares. Its goal is to have 60% of the global grain crop hectares for perennial grains by 2100. By 2050, they expect to have 12 different perennial grain crops growing worldwide.
Response: Rollin Abernethy