Download a photo of Jemal Jumayev and her dad.
Download a photo of Madison area farmer Carmen Fernholz.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — The DNR’s I Can Paddle! program and kernza, an eco-friendly perennial wheatgrass that has potential in food products and beer, will be featured in the next Prairie Sportsman. “Paddles and Kernza” will air on Pioneer PBS Sunday, April 19, 7:30 p.m.; WDSE Saturday, April 25, 4 p.m.; tptLife Saturday, May 2, 12:30 p.m.; Lakeland PBS Saturday, May 23, 2:30 p.m.; and KSMQ Thursday, June 11, 7:30 p.m. It will also be broadcast on the Minnesota Channel, which airs on all Minnesota PBS stations, Thursday, May 7 at midnight, 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.
I Can Paddle! is part of a series of outdoor skills programs that the Minnesota DNR offers to families and individuals who want to try out a recreational sport without having to buy all of the equipment first. In this episode, participants are learning how to paddle canoes and kayaks at William O’Brien State Park. Other I Can! programs teach fishing, mountain biking, archery, river and lake paddling, sea kayaking, and canoeing combined with camping. The program was designed in response to a 2007 survey that showed a serious decline in outdoor recreation and identified barriers such as lack of time, experience and equipment. So the DNR launched outdoor workshops where everything is provided except sleeping bags and food.
Kernza is on track to becoming the world's first commercial perennial grain crop. Plant breeders at the Land Institute in Kansas and University of Minnesota are developing varieties with marketable seeds that can be harvested for three or four years after planting. This segment features Madison area farmer Carmen Fernholz who has planted field trials of kernza and the Birchwood Cafe and Bang Brewing that are incorporating kernza into menu items and brews to promote the eco-friendly wheatgrass.
About Prairie Sportsman
Prairie Sportsman celebrates our love of the outdoors – to hunt, fish and enjoy recreation provided by our vast resources of lakes, rivers, trails and grasslands – while promoting environmental stewardship.
Prairie Sportsman’s team includes Cindy Dorn, producer/writer; Bret Amundson, host/editor; Dylan Curfman, editor/videographer and Max Grabow, assistant videographer/editor. The 2020 season is made possible by funding from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, SafeBasements of Minnesota, GrandStay Hospitality, Diamond Willow, Live Wide Open and Western Minnesota Prairie Waters.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit www.pioneer.org.
