Rocky Boy
February 25, 2026
Our 3rd annual Quinn Institute Field Day brought our community together to see how place-based research can help shape the future of food, farming, and health.
While the full day included conversation and shared meals, the heart of Field Day was the chance to see the Farm Lab in action. Each stop offered a window into the research questions guiding this season’s work and the larger vision for food as medicine on the prairie.
Compost, Crop Rotations, and Soil Moisture
Bob Quinn speaks at the compost field trial.
The first stop highlighted a four-year compost experiment conducted in collaboration with Utah State University, the University of Wyoming, and Deakin Farms.
This study is examining the effects of a single compost application across different crop rotations, with the project concluding in its fourth year through an assessment of winter wheat. We are studying four different compost levels and six crop rotations, while also gathering soil moisture data to better understand how compost may influence water retention.
In a dryland farming region where moisture is one of the most important factors, this kind of work helps connect soil-building practices to practical questions farmers face every season.
IND HEMP
Morgan Tweet speaks about industrial hemp.
Morgan Tweet, CEO of IND HEMP, shared how industrial hemp can support both resilient crop rotations and new market opportunities for farmers. Her talk connected hemp’s potential as food, fiber, and feed to the broader work of building regional supply chains for textiles, building materials, and healthy food products rooted in agricultural communities.
Hard White Winter Wheat
Guests gather beside the Hard White Winter Wheat field trial.
Another major stop focused on the Quinn Institute’s Hard White Winter Wheat project.
This work is centered on developing a wheat variety suited to our region, with strong potential for bread baking, taste, nutrition, and farmer profitability. The team is looking for wheat that can make an appealing whole-wheat bread, one with a beautiful golden color, unique flavor, and strong baking quality.
The project began with 15 varieties, from which 42 individual heads were selected. Of those, nine showed significant yellow color in the flour and were planted last fall for continued evaluation.
Yield is also an important part of the work. While Kamut® averages around 20 bushels per acre, early small-sample results suggest this Hard White Winter Wheat could potentially reach much higher yields. The Quinn Institute continues to work with Grist Milling and Bakery in Missoula to bake test these varieties and better understand their potential from field to flour to loaf.
Hulless Barley and the Health Potential of Grains
Bob Quinn walks alongside the hulless barley field trial.
Field Day guests also learned about the hulless barley project, which is exploring 50 varieties to identify those with strong beta-glucans, protein, and yield.
Beta-glucans are associated with reducing “bad” cholesterol and inflammation, making barley an important crop in the broader conversation around food as medicine.
As part of this project, the Quinn Institute is also examining how barley may work in combination with Kamut®, another grain associated with reducing cholesterol and inflammation. By studying the two crops individually and together, we hope to better understand how grains can support both human health and agricultural viability.
The 50 barley varieties were planted at three different times this spring, allowing the team to compare how seeding dates affect yield and beta-glucan levels.
Small Plot Research: Dryland Crops, Crop Combinations, and Perennial Covers
The afternoon stop included several small plot research projects, each designed to answer practical questions about crop resilience, nutrition, and soil health in our region.
Chickpeas and oats grow together in the intercropping trial.
The chickpea and oat combination trial is asking whether growing these crops together can increase oat protein, as chickpeas fix nitrogen in the soil for the oat plant. The trial is also comparing chickpeas treated for disease protection with untreated chickpeas, offering insight into both crop performance and management decisions.
The perennial cover crop mix field trial.
Another project focuses on a perennial cover crop mix that includes sainfoin, alfalfa, Kernza®, and Kamut®. We will compare the effects of grazing versus haying within a three-year cover crop system, helping explore how perennial systems can support soil health, forage, and long-term land regeneration.
Timeless Lentils & Chickpeas
Guests examine the roots of pulse crop plants.
Field Day also highlighted Black Butte® Desi chickpeas and CDC Redmoon lentils from Timeless Seeds.
These pulse crops are well adapted to northern growing conditions and offer strong yields, disease resistance, and nutritional value. Black Butte chickpeas are rich in protein, minerals, soluble fiber, and protective antioxidants, while CDC Redmoon lentils offer a versatile, quick-cooking food with a smooth, buttery texture.
Beyond their value as food and cash crops, both pulses support soil health by fixing nitrogen, reducing fertilizer needs, breaking cereal disease and pest cycles, and contributing to more diverse and resilient cropping systems.
Research That Connects Soil, Food, Community, and Health
Attendees look closely at the different varieties of Hard White Winter Wheat.
Throughout the day, the larger vision of the Quinn Institute came into focus: food as medicine, farmers being paid like pharmacists, and land regenerated through research that is visible, practical, and rooted in place.
The Food as Medicine Farm Lab is designed to support farmers by improving the profitability and impact of farming while growing food that heals. By studying how agricultural methods influence nutrition at field scale, the Quinn Institute is creating research farmers can see, trust, and use.
A draft campus map shows the future Quinn Institute site plan.
Field Day also offered a glimpse into the future of the Quinn Institute campus, a place for collaboration, teaching, gathering, and the cultivation of a new vision for agriculture. In addition to holding space for conducting research, the campus aims to bring together farmers, researchers, food makers, educators, and community members around the shared work of healing people and the planet through food.
Thank you to Bomgardner Catering for the delicious, locally sourced lunch! Thank you to everyone who joined us, asked questions, shared a meal, and helped carry this work forward.
This crucial work is supported by the generosity of our donors. To join our team of supporters, email drew@quinninstitute.org.
