Assessing artisan perennial wheat material as a new food crop

Perennial grain production systems are being developed to increase sustainability and profitability for Australian farmers. This project aims to form an early stage cluster of researchers and industry end users to guide development of this new crop to target the artisan grain market. The project will facilitate the piloting of early-generation perennial wheat material by artisan millers, bakers, brewers and distillers and draw key participants from across the supply chain in a forum to identify the strengths and weaknesses of this potential new food crop. The information provided will be used to inform future breeding activities and to scope likely market opportunities in Australia. The workshop will deliver a report which: 1) details the function of selected perennial cereal germplasm for specified end use products, 2) identifies any grain attributes that are lacking that can be improved through breeding, and 3) documents the scope and pathway to market for perennial grains that will achieve industry growth beyond $10M of product value in the next five years.