For centuries, small grains production has been an integral part of organic crop rotations and regenerative agricultural systems around the world. Long before industrial agriculture dominated the landscape, diverse cereal crops formed the backbone of regional food systems, with farmers growing wheat, rye, barley, oats, and ancient grains like einkorn, emmer, spelt, and kamut, each suited to their local climate and soil conditions. These traditional farming systems understood what modern science now confirms: cultivating cereal crops helps build small farm resiliency by increasing biodiversity, strengthening soil health, contributing to crop rotations, and enabling the production of value-added grain products such as fresh, stone-milled flours for baking.
The Historical Foundation
America's agricultural heritage tells the story of grain diversity. Before the mid-20th century consolidation of agriculture, thousands of wheat varieties were grown across the United States, each adapted to specific regions and uses. Farmers in the Southeast grew soft red winter wheats perfect for biscuits and pastries, while the Great Plains produced hard wheats ideal for bread. This diversity wasn't just agricultural. It was cultural and economic, supporting local mills, bakeries, and food traditions that defined communities.
The Green Revolution of the 1960s dramatically changed this landscape. While increasing yields, it also led to genetic uniformity and the loss of countless heirloom grain varieties. By the 1980s, just a handful of wheat varieties dominated American production, and local grain infrastructure had largely disappeared. Mills closed, seed varieties were lost, and the knowledge of growing and processing diverse grains began to fade.
The Science of Farm Resiliency
Today's regenerative grain movement is rediscovering why diverse cereal crops are so valuable for farm ecosystems. From a technical standpoint, small grains offer multiple pathways to enhanced farm resiliency. Their root systems create channels that improve water infiltration and soil structure long after harvest. These roots also access nutrients from deeper soil layers, bringing them to the surface where they become available to subsequent crops.
The biological benefits extend beyond soil structure. Cereal crops support different mycorrhizal networks than broadleaf crops, fostering soil microbial diversity that strengthens the entire farm ecosystem. When integrated into rotations with legumes and other crops, grains help break pest and disease cycles that can plague monoculture systems. Winter grains like wheat and rye provide crucial soil cover during dormant seasons, preventing erosion while capturing atmospheric nitrogen and carbon.
From an economic perspective, on-farm grain production offers farmers multiple revenue streams and reduced input costs. Rather than purchasing expensive feeds for livestock or flour for value-added products, farmers can grow their own, keeping more dollars on the farm while reducing transportation costs and supply chain dependencies. All of these benefits support the regional food economy and increase access to regenerative and organic grains.
A National Renaissance
Over the past few decades, grains movements across the world have brought inquisitive bakers, regenerative growers, artisan stone millers, and food activists together to build more equitable, robust, and integrated grain economies. These efforts focus on decommodifying cereal crop markets by emphasizing the flavor and nutritional advantages of true whole grain products made from regeneratively grown heirloom, landrace, and modern grain varietals.
This renaissance is particularly visible in regions where forward-thinking institutions have catalyzed change. The Bread Lab at Washington State University, led by wheat breeder Stephen Jones, has become a national model for collaborative grain research. By bringing together farmers, bakers, and scientists, the lab develops new varieties specifically bred for flavor, nutrition, and regional adaptation. These are qualities often ignored by industrial breeding programs focused solely on yield and shelf life.
In the Northeast, Blue Hill at Stone Barns has pioneered the restaurant industry's engagement with heritage grains. Chef Dan Barber's commitment to sourcing grains from the surrounding Hudson Valley has created market demand that supports local farmers while showing diners the superior flavor of freshly milled, regionally adapted grains.
Regional Innovation in the Southeast
The Southeast has emerged as a dynamic region for grain revival, building on the area's agricultural heritage while addressing modern challenges such as climate resilience and soil health. The hot, humid summers and mild winters create unique opportunities for winter grain production that can complement traditional warm-season crops.
Carolina Ground in western North Carolina exemplifies this regional approach. Founded by Jennifer Lapidus, the operation combines heritage grain growing with stone milling, creating a vertically integrated model that maintains quality from seed to flour. Their focus on Southern-adapted varieties like Wrens Abruzzi rye and Red May wheat connects contemporary farming with historical grain types that thrived in the region’s climate.
Similarly, operations across the Southeast are discovering that integrating grains into existing farm systems can solve multiple challenges at once. Cover crop grains such as cereal rye and winter wheat can transition into cash crops, providing soil health benefits while generating income. For farms raising livestock, homegrown grains reduce feed costs and improve animal health through diverse nutrition.
Building Integrated Food Networks
What sets today’s grain movement apart is its focus on building complete food systems. Successful grain economies require not just farmers, but also millers, bakers, brewers, and other processors who can transform raw grain into products people want.
Here at Caney Fork Farms, a regenerative farm in the hills of Middle Tennessee, we are working to demonstrate this systems-based approach. In addition to growing organic grains at our satellite farm, we’ve invested in cleaning and storage infrastructure that allows us to serve both wholesale and direct markets. We are collaborating with regional bakers and millers to bring our organic grains, and those from other regenerative farms, to market.
This infrastructure is crucial. Grain quality declines quickly after milling. Whole grain flours lose nutritional value and develop off-flavors within weeks, which makes fresh, local milling essential for quality. The resurgence of small mills, from restored historic sites to modern stone mills, helps close this gap and strengthens local grain systems.
Looking Forward: Food Sovereignty and Agricultural Liberation
The revival of small grains is not just about crop diversification. It is a step toward food sovereignty and freedom from extractive industrial systems. Food sovereignty—the right of communities to define their own food and agricultural systems—finds powerful expression in local grain economies that prioritize ecological health, cultural preservation, and community well-being over corporate control.
Industrial agriculture has depleted soils, concentrated wealth, and weakened the connection between people and their food. The grain movement offers an alternative. Regenerative systems can restore natural resources, spread economic benefits more evenly, and rebuild the infrastructure and knowledge needed for food system independence.
This shift toward what some call liberation agriculture is especially meaningful in grain production. Unlike other sectors dominated by multinational corporations, regional grain systems can be rebuilt at a human scale. Local varieties, community mills, and farmer-led processing centers create economic independence and reduce reliance on volatile global commodity markets.
The movement is also one of cultural reclamation. Indigenous communities across the Americas are bringing back ancestral grains like tepary beans, heritage corn, and wild rice as acts of sovereignty and cultural healing. These efforts show how grain can serve ecological restoration and cultural resilience at the same time.
This transformation depends on strong collaboration among farmers, processors, and customers who value resilience over convenience. Across the country, the market for regeneratively grown, regionally processed grain is growing, and farmers are stepping into that opportunity.
The future of American grain production may not rest in the hands of large corporations. It may instead belong to the steady work of farmers, millers, and bakers rebuilding the diverse, sovereign food systems that can nourish both land and people for generations.
The only thing we as farmers need is a growing number of customers who recognize the value of food grown within these kinds of systems. It may take one extra step today, but with enough people taking that step, we can streamline the process through scale and shared infrastructure. We have to walk before we run.
Will you walk with us?