Bernard Warkentin News Today

Bernard Warkentin couldn’t have known that when he planted wheat in central Kansas in 1874 he was sowing Kansas’ legacy as the Wheat State. Allegedly, Warkentin was the first to plant Turkey Red wheat, a hard winter variety that was well conditioned to the Kansas climate and soils. Born in 1847 in what’s now Crimea, Warkentin came to the United States in 1871 with other German- Mennonites fleeing Russian persecution. He chose to settle in Halstead, which in many important ways, like temper...

Slideshow: Nearly 150 years ago, Ukrainian immigrants brought Turkey Red winter wheat to Kansas, kickstarting an agricultural boom that survives to this day.