Local Business News
Curated news and information worth Sharing
In this section of the site you'll find news and information we come across related to local businesses in Lafayette Colorado as well as local food initiatives along the Front Range and beyond.
What Do Farmers Do During The Winter?
via Modern Farmer
Posted December 27, 2021 6:50 pm
by Paul Bonneville
To those living on the periphery of the food and the farming world, winter’s toll on the land may seem like an opportunity for producers to take a long nap and rest before the ground thaws and it’s time to grow again. The truth? It’s anything but that.
I would say we are on the periphery just starting to look in on world of farming activities here on Daily Grains, specifically on small grain farming, so these types of articles help to fill in some of the gaps. The big takeaway in this piece for me focuses on what it will take to help farmers even consider growing grain crops that are new to them since this is the time of year for their planning.
Between grain growing trials that are necessary to determine what varieties grow well in different regions to matching up the grain and flour needs of food producers, there is a lot of informational infrastructure that is needed to tie the pieces together. Once that information is available, then the farmers need to be able to assess their options and plan for the growing seasons for the next year. No simple task.
Hopefully we can help as we move forward.
Locations
Lamar, MO,
United States
United States
Science & Research
Farming
Digital infrastructure
Advocacy & Education
Seeds
Introducing the Daily Grains Grain Finder
via Daily Grains
Posted December 19, 2021 12:24 am
Finding ancient, heritage, or landrace grains and flours is no easy task if you are trying to source them as locally as possible. The goal of this section of Daily Grains is to start sharing the grains we come across during our Grain Chain research. We recognize this is ambitious and the data will sometimes be outdated, but we're going to give it a shot.
We haven't posted much in the last few days as we have been firing up the weekly newsletter service and building out our new Grain Finder. In a nutshell, we are starting to track small grain growers and the ancient, heritage, heirloom, and landrace grains they grow and sell.
Locations
Lafayette, CO,
United States
United States
Seeds
Marketing & Promotion
Business networking
Farming
Kernza® USDA CAP Grant Aims to Scale Kernza
via Kerza - The Land Institute
Posted December 15, 2021 11:26 pm
by Paul Bonneville
The University of Minnesota, in collaboration with a multi-state coalition of researchers, farmers, educators, industry leaders, policy experts, and climate scientists, was awarded a highly competitive 5 year, $10 million grant through USDA. This grant, called a Coordinated Agricultural Project - or CAP - aims to scale the research, production, awareness and commercialization of Kernza, the first perennial grain available for commercial production in the United States.
Investment in grain crops that produce for two or more years is the way to go. If you can imagine the financial impact of reducing tilling and planting alone, not to mention all of the other environmental benefits, it's hard to not get excited about the potential. If you have not taken a look at Kernza's full story, it is worth the time.
Glad to learn about these types of grants and look forward to watching their work move forward. We actually bought some Kernza from the Perennial Pantry awhile back. It made great pancakes. 🥞
Products
Organizations
Science & Research
Sales
Seeds
Supply Chain Crunches Are Affecting Every Corner of Agriculture
via Modern Farmer
Posted December 14, 2021 8:50 am
by Paul Bonneville
Supply chain disruptions steadily increased this year and with each new hiccup, a new sector of food production or distribution has been impacted. Though each of these supply issues happens on their own scale, it’s clear they’re connected. That cargo ship stuck off the coast of Los Angeles is part of the reason your peanut butter is more expensive. Pull on a single loose thread and you can unravel the whole supply system.
The question this brings up for me is whether or not the disruptions affect local and regional food systems, and if so, how? Can local systems truly come online and alleviate some of these issues? The article goes into a number of areas and seems to spell out that these issues will be here for a while.
Introduction to Golden State Grains
via LinkedIn
Posted December 13, 2021 12:11 am
by Paul Bonneville
I started to research for web tools or apps already in the market with similar functionality. I wasted no time and started to talk to my grain community including students, researchers, farmers, millers, and bakers. After months of defining our goals, we moved ahead with a company that helped us to develop Golden State Grains.
Came across this article written by Claudia Carter, Executive Director of the California Wheat Commission, regarding their Grain Chain networking website, Golden State Grains. While Ashley and I continue to do research on our local and regional chain, as well as national movements, it was very encouraging to come across Golden State Grains.
If you want to understand some of what we are trying to do with Daily Grains, you'll be able to see part of our vision in their website. We want to help connect the bakers and chefs making local food with the millers and farmers (amongst all the other contributors) that are trying to grow and find new markets. Golden State Grains, a resource that does just that in California, was actually commissioned by the California Wheat Commission. Good stuff!
Locations
Woodland, CA,
United States
United States
People
Organizations
Digital infrastructure
Advocacy & Education
Business networking
Farming
Boulder County Couple Supports Local Restaurants With Community-Forward Farming. Why Is Their Success Story So Rare?
via The Boulder Reporting Lab
Posted December 13, 2021 12:45 am
by Paul Bonneville
“To find a property like the one we’re sitting on right now is pretty challenging. Not just in Colorado, but all over the country,” Jurbala said. “The price of land is incredibly high for young people trying to get into farming.”
I learned about Speedwell Farm & Gardens about a week ago, but I just came across this article that hits on one of the major issues in the Grain Chain. Land. It is not cheap, and if you are trying to get into any new business venture, it can be a major hurdle. This article gives you more of Cody and Mel's story and the path they took to solve their land issue.
This is also the second article in the last couple weeks that I have come across by Sophia Piña-McMahon, so she is now part of our little Grain Chain database as well.
Locations
Niwot, CO,
United States
United States
Organizations
Mad About Front Range Grains
via Medium
Posted December 10, 2021 12:50 am
by Paul Bonneville
Luckily, there is a growing movement of farmers, millers, bakers, chefs, scientists, and activists in Colorado who are working to revive ancient and heritage grains for our health, the environment, and the local economy.
I've known about Mad Ag for some time now and had recently posted them to our site a couple weeks back, but I just checked out their site again and came across this article they posted back in June. The article is packed to the rafters with information about grains, the local Grain Chain movement here in the Front Range...and much more than I can summarize here. Definitely worth the read.
Locations
Boulder, CO,
United States
United States
Advocacy & Education
Baking
Farming
Seeds
Speedwell Farm Grows India Jammu Wheat in Colorado's Front Range
via Instagram
Posted December 9, 2021 12:05 am
by Paul Bonneville
Pictured here is the India Jammu wheat that Speedwell grew for Moxie this past season. Love to discover local farmers getting into the grain business.
Locations
Longmont, CO,
United States
United States
People
Organizations
Farming
Local Grain Chains in Action
via Instagram
Posted December 8, 2021 12:00 am
by Paul Bonneville
Love to see these types of posts! This is in Auburn, California. Be sure to read the description. This is what we want to see in regions across the country!
The Whole Grain Connection
via Whole Grain Connection
Posted December 7, 2021 10:31 pm
by Paul Bonneville
We are a non-profit organization based in California, aiming to enhance the desirability and availability of whole grain breads and other whole grain products from organically and sustainably grown grains and thereby connecting farmers and bakers.
Absolutely have to highlight this great Grain Chain resource on the West Coast. Monica Spiller heads up the non-profit organization, The Whole Grain Connection. There is a lot of work and information that the website aggregates and shares, focusing mainly on California, but it also has resources and links to organizations across the country. Definitely have a look, as it represents some of the work we aspire to.
Locations
Mountain View, CA,
United States
United States
People
Organizations
Business networking
Advocacy & Education