Ag research center Quinn Institute holds ribbon-cutting

Staff and wire report

The latest endeavor by Big Sandy-area farmer, businessman and researcher went full force last week, with a ribbon cutting and tours of the Quinn Institute July 9.

Bob Quinn started the institute on 700 acres of land formerly part of the Quinn Farm and Ranch southeast of Big Sandy.

The institute is intended to serve as a research and demonstration hub designed to foster the evolution of regenerative organic agriculture and a place-based approach to solving the national food and health crisis.

Quinn said the institute is a "culmination of my life's work."

The institute combines agricultural research, education, and health care to demonstrate and analyze the connection between good food and good health with the mission "to scale up the number of successful regenerative organic producers and demonstrate that agriculture can be both profitable and a force for good."

The 700-acres of donated land will serve as the regenerative, organic research spread for various agricultural systems including dryland cropping rotations, native pasture, livestock, and more.

Beyond fields and croplands, the campus will include small gardens, orchards, a teaching kitchen, and small processing facilities, the release said. These features will educate participants on topics ranging from soil management to culinary arts, emphasizing the connectivity between farm-fresh produce and the dining plate. The Quinn Institute will also partner with health practitioners to align agricultural practices with health outcomes, providing robust, high-nutrient food prescriptions for those battling chronic disease and mental health conditions.

Quinn a field tour to learn more about reclaiming saline seeps, dryland cropping, and weed monitoring.

"We need more Bob Quinns in this world," said Montana Department of Agriculture Director Christy Clark after taking the tour. "Bob is a true innovator that pushes the boundaries of agriculture. Farmer-led research is critical to advancing the ag industry and promotes sustainable yet context-specific solutions."

It is a continuation of a lifetime of research and work in farming, including organic farming, nutrition and business.

Quinn returned to the family farm after receiving his doctorate in plant science from University of California-Davis. His work including turning the farm into an organic operation and reviving the disappeared grain korasin, which he called Kamut, from a few grains he picked up at a fair, with the story they had been taken from an Egyptian pyramid.

Quinn pushed for production and use of Kamut, which he says has some beneficial aspects to improved health.

He planted a half-acre of Kamut and found a few markets for it, he said, but they also gave a bit of their homemade Kamut pasta to a friend and her sister who both had a wheat sensitivity.

Their positive response spurred Quinn to develop and trademark that grain as Kamut and launched his Kamut industry.

He said in 2019 more than 100,000 acres of Kamut is grown annually around the world, and the grain is used in 3,500 products, including the Kracklin' Kamut he produces in and sells from Big Sandy. He has also spent about 15 years researching the health benefits of the grain in a laboratory in Italy, where wheat producers and consumers are very interested, he said, in making sure everyone can continue eating pasta.