Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: barley, rye, wheat
Practices
- Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, values-based supply chains
Abstract:
Farmers are hesitant to enter specialty grain production without proven markets, while food entrepreneurs are stymied in their development of regional small grain products due to lack of supply from farmers. A solution would improve economic sustainability for participating farmers and processors, improve environmental benefits via the double cropping system used in the South to produce specialty small grains, and engage consumers more with their food system.
We seek to circumvent the chicken and egg paradox of specialty small-grain production by working with farmer and industry partners to create new value chains for baking, brewing, and distilling products made from Kentucky-grown wheat, malting barley, and rye. Our farm-to-loaf and farm-to-bottle objectives require agronomic, economic, and sociological approaches, and a blend of research, Cooperative Extension, and outreach activities. Research on small-grain, and in particular, malting grain, production in the Northeast and Northwest supported the emergence of craft beverage and artisan baking sectors. In the South, while Kentucky is renowned for its distilling heritage, there has been less development of malting grains to support our superlative spirits and rapidly expanding craft beverage sector. Preliminary Kentucky research demonstrated the viability of regionally adapted hard red winter wheat in artisan bread production. Demand is strong; in addition to consumer preferences, a growing number of contractually or legislatively obligated institutions (universities, hospitals, public schools, state parks) seek to purchase Kentucky farm-impact foods for their dining services.
Through previous work, we identified growers, artisan bakers, flour millers, maltsters, brewers, and distillers with whom to partner, bu we likely just scratched the surface. We will perform a value chain mapping procedure that combines key stakeholder interviews, focus groups, enterprise budgeting, and market analysis to identify critical success factors for each market segment. These factors include grain quality characteristics, economic factors of production, logistic or technical considerations across value chain levels from the farm to the retailer, and consumer preferences. In parallel, we will conduct small-plot non-GMO agronomic trials to identify cultivars and breeding lines with sufficient agronomic fitness and superior flavor/malting/baking characteristics. Seed of superior breeding lines will be increased and provided to growers for pilot-scale baking, malting, brewing, and distilling trials. Production performance and sensory evaluation are components of the pilot product evaluations. The results will be shared with our network of partners through print and online media as well as Cooperative Extension programs and publications, industry and academic presentations and publications, and annual Grain Exchanges that will connect our farmer and industry partners with the wider community of interested farm and industry stakeholders. Participants in the Grain Exchanges will share experiences and final products. Speakers from regions with more developed local small grain value chains will share lessons learned. Relative to the existing commodity-oriented value chains, we intend the end results to be self-sufficient networks of farms and businesses that create new economic activity, use environmentally superior farming practices, and give people ways to feel socially connected and rewarded via the food system.
Our SARE grant “Development of Local Small Grain Value Chains for Kentucky and the Mid-South” has benefited our research and outreach efforts tremendously, by giving us a structure and calendar that guide our planning and implementation in the specialty small grains arena. Prior to receiving this grant these efforts were carried out by individuals but we were not always aware of each other’s activities. Further, and possibly more important, this grant has provided a platform for putting us in touch with our stakeholders on something more than a one on one basis. Through advisory committee meetings and field days we stay in continual touch with bakers, distillers, farmers and processors who are deeply interested in these specialty small grain markets.
The purpose of this project was to design, characterize and understand small grain value chains that help farmers capture more value from winter small grain production by meeting local demand from the artisan food and beverage markets. The initial grant team consisted of David Van Sanford, Krista Jacobsen, Jordan Shockley, Leigh Maynard and Lilian Brislen. Dr. Maynard retired mid-way through the grant and Dr. Brislen left UK in the fall of 2021 to take a position at Colorado State University. Dr. Yoko Kusunose replaced Dr. Maynard on the team. We had great help from two additional individuals: Brett Wolff from the Center for Crop Diversification helped immensely with website design, social media presence during the 2019 Grain Gathering along with facilitation roles in two other events. Ashton Wright, who succeeded Dr. Brislen as Executive Director of the Food Connection @ UK, participated in several events over the course of the grant and shared with us her insights and experience from years of working with local food systems.
The arc of this project and its momentum was seriously impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, to a person, the team observed a profound surge in interest for local food systems and economies over the course of the grant. It is possible that Covid likely boosted the level of interest in local small grain economies, in the same way that interest in home baking surged, but there is no doubt that connections have been formed and conversations about locally produced specialty small grains now occur easily and often in unlikely places. What follows is basically an enumeration of our activities over the 3 years of the grant, and the products and conclusions that resulted.
November 2018
- Event at South Farm during Steve Jones visit: this was a reception for Dr. Jones, but also a gathering of the partners we knew to be interested in specialty small grain economies
- SARE grant submitted
- Edison hard white spring wheat planted by our Walnut Grove Farms partners in response to baker requests – this cultivar is prized by PNW bakers for its flavor
January 2019
• Grant team visits Cincinnati to meet with partners at Sixteen Bricks, Sotto Restaurant, and New Riff Distillery
February 2019
• DVS visited Maker’s Mark to discuss collaborative research
March 2019
- Rye project planning calls with Dendri Fund partners
- Grant team joins Rye Stakeholder Gathering at Woodford Reserve. Presentations of flavor research, discussion of farmer interest and initial efforts to broaden the scope of the Dendri-Fund rye project
- Grant meets with Beam group to discuss collaborative research
- 2019 Food Connection Local Food Summit – Van Sanford presents on Baguette Project: “Bread Wheat in a Biscuit State?”
April 2019
Funding for SARE grant arrives
- Grant team travels to Nashville (with partners from Walnut Grove Farms) to meet biscuit and pastry chefs to discuss interest in local wheat
- Grant team travels to Asheville,NC for Bread Fair and to meet Jenn Lapidus (Carolina Ground Flour) and Amy Halloran
- Grant team decides to host Southeastern Grain Gathering, Sep. 2019
- Began weekly Southeastern Grain Gathering (SEGG) planning meetings
May 2019
- “A Walk through the Rye Fields” – Walnut Grove Farms hosted grant team and stakeholders and partners in the Rye Project. Collaborative planning of pilot distillation of farmer grown rye by Woodford Reserve and small plot rye by Brown-Forman R&D lab
- Serious SEGG planning continues
- Grant team Attended Great Bagel Grand Opening to see New American Stone Mill produce freshly milled whole wheat flour for bagels
- Grant team meets with VP’s of Southeastern Conference universities, tastes bourbon and discusses small grain value chain work
June 2019
- Jim Betts, owner of Bluegrass Baking helped wheat breeding team with bread wheat harvest, Woodford County
- Grain from desirable wheat breeding lines provided to Bluegrass Baking for experimentation and baking
- Rye Project planning meeting, Brown-Forman headquarters, Louisville
- Serious SEGG planning continues
July 2019
- Walnut Grove Farms (WGF) partner Sarah Halcomb travels to Maine Grain Alliance Kneading Conference on behalf of SARE team
- Dave Van Sanford and Hanna Poffenbarger travel to Loretto to meet with Maker’s Mark grain team to discuss variety trial plots and cover crop plots on MM new farm
- Serious SEGG planning continues
August 2019
- Grant team meets with UK’s Women in Philanthropy to taste bread and discusses various bread and whiskey projects underway
- Countdown to SEGG begins
September 2019
- Rye value chain conference call – grant team and partners
- Barley value chain conference call – grant team and partners
- Wheat value chain conference call – grant team and partners
October 2019
- Provided wheat seed to Bill Keener of Sequatchie Cove Farm in TN and Laura of Mt. Folly Farms in Winchester
- Connected organic grower Ben Abell with seed source so he could plant Purplestraw wheat and Dylan rye
- Planted wheat variety trial at Maker’s Mark, Loretto, KY
- Submitted small plot rye samples to Aaron MacLeod at Hartwick College for quality analysis
- Submitted small bulks of 3 small plot rye cultivars to Chris Teeley at Brown-Forman R&D lab for micro distillation
December 2019
• Began planning lunch for rye growers
January 2020
- Winter wheat meeting, Princeton KY. Jordan Shockley presented on enterprise budgets for specialty small grains, Dave Van Sanford presented on SE Grain Gathering. More than 100 commodity farmers were present and survey response indicated some interest in growing wheat for artisan bakers, rye for whiskey and malting barley for brewing or distillation
- Rye farmer luncheon at Rye on Market in Lousiville. WGF-produced Brasetto rye milled in Bob Perry’s lab on campus and shipped to Blue Dog Bakery in Louisville to produce a rye miche for the event. Farmer experiences discussed; small plot rye data presented.
- Helped WGF partners find commercial homes for their Edison hard white spring wheat
February 2020
- Chef Bob Perry begins using Edison HWS wheat for all of the bread served in UK’s Lemon Tree restaurant
- Jane Bowie and Beth Buckner from Maker’s Mark come to evaluate aroma and flavor of porridge make from UK wheat breeding lines
- 2020 Local Food Summit February 26
Farm to Bottle Session: Kentucky grains for Kentucky distilling – Panel discussion I involving grant team participants from UK, Walnut Grove Farms and American Farmland Trust
Farm to Loaf Session: The Approachable Loaf – poster presented by Sarah Halcomb1, Jim Betts2, Andy Brown2, Steve Jones3, Bryan Brady4,Bob Perry4 and Dave Van Sanford4 1Walnut Grove Farms , 2Bluegrass Baking, 3The Bread Lab, 4University of Kentucky
- 2020 Beam Inst. Conference February 27
Van Sanford Chaired Grains presentations:
Speakers:
> Russell Case, Malster & Owner, South Fork Malthouse
> Sam Halcomb, Owner/Farmer, Walnut Grove Farms
> Erica Fields, President, Brooks Grain LLC
> Joyce Nethery, CEO/Master Distiller, Jeptha Creed
Immediately after the Beam Institute Conference, Covid-19 struck and in person gatherings were suspended.
Project objectives:
- Complete a participatory value chain maps for rye, barley, and wheat in Kentucky.
- Develop and implement production process activities that resolve challenges in growing and marketing wheat, rye, and malting barley with flavor and quality characteristics desired by artisan food and craft beverage producers.
- Foster cross-sector understanding among value chain stakeholders with the aim of supporting strategic product development, entrepreneurial efforts, and future research and technical assistance initiatives.