The Skagit Valley Grain Community
The Skagit Valley is home to an emerging and thriving grain community. Grains have always been a crucial part of the agricultural practices of Skagit farmers but it wasn’t until recently that a community began to form around the goal of increasing the value of the grains grown here. Since 2010 the Port of Skagit has become home to a wheat research center, a baking school, a malthouse, a flour mill, and three breweries all within a mile of each other. These new businesses and institutions are building markets for the grains that are crucial to the health of the land and the long term viability of our farmland.
Farmers in Skagit have strict crop rotation practices that rely heavily on grains to rebuild and balance the nutrients in the soil for future high-value crops. Wheat and barley are the most popular grains for rotational planting and some 10,000 acres of grain are planted each year. However, in the past, grain grown for crop rotation was sold into the commodity feed market with no other value-add markets available. The reality is that commodity markets can be brutal for small farmers and some years the farmer wouldn't even break even on the investment they made towards their farmland. A healthy grain community has the power to change these systems and redefine, or introduce, the concept of a “non-commodity” grain-growing region (like Skagit Valley).
The Skagit Valley hasn't always been known as grain community because far more attention had been paid to the cash crops we produce like tulips, market-fresh vegetables, vegetable seeds and potatoes... with less focus on the grain whose value was lost in the commodity system. In order to sell into the commodity system, whether it be barley for malting or wheat for milling, farmers must grow thousands of acres of grain to make a profit. But what makes our grain community different is that the farmers here are far too small to ever compete in the commodity market so we take it upon ourselves to build new markets that reflect our unique products. The average size of a farm in the Skagit Valley is just 94 acres, furthermore out of 1,000 farms there are only 50 farms over 500 acres. In Washington state, the average farm is 410 acres. In Washington, there are over 2.2 million acres of wheat grown a year and some 93,000 acres of barley. In the Skagit Valley, just 3,300 acres of wheat and 5,000 acres of barley are grown each year. (2017 US Census of Agriculture)
“So what if the wheat remained local? What if, instead of growing anonymous wheat in Skagit, wheat could be bred for good yield and exceptional flavor? What if there were a local market to support these distinctive varieties? Might it be possible to improve both return for the farmer and the quality of the flour for the bakers? ”
In order to ensure this Valley continues to produce and thrive, farmers need a ready market for everything they grow. This is especially true for grains because what the grain contributes to the soil is more valuable than what a commodity market can offer. In the past, the farmers haven’t been paid the true value of this high quality and one of a kind terroir-driven grain. The support of a grain community makes this process possible. A farmer can't just grow commodity barley and expect it to fit into a value-added market, the reality is you need differentiated varieties of grain that first grow well and benefit the farmer while also giving the consumer the chance to try something they have never had before or never imagined existed. The last and arguably the most important thing a grain community needs is - collaboration. When our grain community is in constant contact and working together to innovate we solve problems more efficiently and we strengthen our connections. We are incredibly lucky to have a research center up the street from our malthouse, by collaborating with the Bread Lab we have changed the way we go about finding new varieties of grain to malt. With the help of the Bread Lab, we are now constantly trialing new barleys and rediscovering ancient ones for malting while also building seed stock for future plantings. We can then take that new and exciting barley variety over to one of the neighboring breweries where we can determine the style of the malt and the best expression of its terroir. Perhaps one of its best expressions is actually as malt flour, well then we can go to the flour mill up the street to discuss with the millers and hear their thoughts before turning that malt into a flour for baking. At the end of the day, a strong diverse grain community creates resilience and helps solidify the future of Skagit for generations to come.
Our Growing Grain Community
Bread Lab
The Bread Lab began in 2011 in a small laboratory in the Washington State University Mount Vernon Research Center. Today it occupies 12,000 square feet at the Port of Skagit and includes the Bread Lab research and baking kitchen, a cytology lab, the King Arthur Flour Baking School at The Bread Lab, a milling laboratory and a professional kitchen.
WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center
The mission of Washington State University Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center is to serve the agricultural, horticultural, and natural resource science interests of the state through research and extension activities that are enhanced by the unique conditions of northwestern Washington: its mild, marine climate, rich alluvial soils, diverse small and mid-sized farming enterprises, and unique rural-urban interface.
Carinspring Mills
Cairnspring Mills was founded to answer to the following challenges: How to ensure local farmers remain financially viable as they face the growing pressures of urbanization and are increasingly forced into the race toward-the-bottom commodity system. How to preserve the unique agricultural heritage of the Skagit Valley and build markets for the amazing grain produced in the valley and the Pacific Northwest. How to shorten the distance between farmer and customer, not just for items we might see at a farmers market, but even for a bulk crop such as wheat. While achieving all of this, how to also build soil health and conserve farmland.
Fairhaven Organic Flour mill
Founded in 1974 in Fairhaven, WA. Moved to Burlington in 2010 - came under new ownership in 2019. This flour mill uses hammer and stone mills and only produces whole grain organic flour. We have been working with Fairhaven flour mill for several years now to produce our Caramel 30 malt flour product. Having a hammer mill this close to our malthouse allows us to make a unique malt product, by using a hammer mill we utilize the entire barley kernel, including the husk that holds the majority of the flavor and color of the malt. This malt flour then makes its way into bread, pastries, pizza dough, and even milkshakes.