Seeding Success: A Food-Grade Grain Production Curriculum for Midwest Farmer Advisors

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: barley, buckwheat, canola, corn, flax, millet, oats, rye, sorghum (sweet), spelt, sunflower, triticale, wheat

Practices

• Crop Production: cropping systems, food product quality/safety, multiple cropping, postharvest treatment
• Education and Training: extension, focus group, networking, technical assistance
• Farm Business Management: value added
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, other
• Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, social networks, values-based supply chains

Midwest farmer advisors are proficient in supporting farmers in commodity grain production, yet there is a lack of accessible information to help farmers interested in producing food-grade grains, crops grown for human consumption, especially using sustainable and certified organic growing practices. Interest in producing food-grade grains is increasing because of the potential for high economic value, ability to add rotational diversity and ecosystem services, and marketing opportunities that allow grain farmers to feed their local communities (in short: food-grade grains help move agriculture towards economic, environmental, and social wellbeing goals).

The goal of this project was to provide Midwest farmer advisors with the knowledge, tools, and experience necessary to assist farmers in producing and marketing food-grade grains, while also enhancing their peer support system through in person and virtual meetings. We held four roundtable discussions across the region to hear firsthand from farmer advisors on the needs and gaps in materials. Using that information, we created an online training consisting of three modules, hosted on the Artisan Grain Collaborative website. We hosted two live webinars featuring food-grade grain farmers from across the Midwest and held one in person training. The online training was designed to accommodate the full spectrum of farmers that advisors interact with, including those who are new to farming or interested in incorporating food-grade grains into existing commodity grain, diversified vegetable, or integrated livestock operations. By providing advisors across the North Central Region with the knowledge and tools necessary to assist farmers in producing food-grade grains, we hope this project benefits farmers while contributing to the development of a sustainable food system and providing resources that will be applicable across the North Central Region.

There were five expected outputs from this project that were developed in collaboration with farmer advisors and our project partners. These outputs were designed to meet the educational and training needs of farmer advisors across the NCR and promote the adoption of food-grade grain as a landscape diversification strategy.

1. Roundtable Discussions: To document the needs and gaps in food-grade grain knowledge and programming, we conducted four roundtable discussions with farmer advisors. Two of these discussions were in person (one in Michigan, one in Wisconsin), and two were held via Zoom. 
2. Needs Report: The outcomes of the roundtable discussions were documented in a written report that outlines the educational and training needs of farmer advisors.
3. In-Person Training and Site Visit: To address the educational and training needs identified in the report, we provided an in person training and site visit for farmer advisors at Rooster Milling in SW Wisconsin.
4. Curriculum: We developed an online training for farmer advisors about food-grade grains. This curriculum has the potential to reach hundreds of farmer advisors across the NCR.
5. Webinar: We will hosted two live webinars featuring farmers and their experiences for farmer advisors across the NCR on food-grade grains. We also created one video recording of an overview of the training modules to help explain their content and usefulness. 

These outputs were created to increase the awareness of food-grade grain agriculture among farmer advisors across the NCR, enhance their confidence and willingness to talk to farmers about food-grade grains, and improve their knowledge of agronomy, storage, and handling, and marketing basics related to food-grade grains.