New Survey Data Shows Two Out of Five Consumers Value Local Grains

December 3, 2025

Results offer a snapshot of what motivates consumers, what holds them back, and where opportunities exist for farmers, food businesses, and retailers to highlight the benefits of local grains.

Member Feature: Hartville Elevator Co.

November 16, 2025

Historic Ohio feed mill has adapted and continues to be a vital community asset.

Member Feature: Laune Bread

October 19, 2025

Crafting, connecting, and communicating the good vibes of regional grains

Member Feature: Heartland Craft Grains

September 20, 2025

Reviving heritage grains for passionate bakers and conscious eaters

Member Feature: Sheridan Acres

August 23, 2025

Heirloom dry beans from Michigan

Insights on Consumer Perceptions of Regional Grains

August 20, 2025

Summary report on AGC's collaboration with the Whole Grains Council Consumer Insight Survey

Farm to Flavor 2025

August 15, 2025

One-of-a-kind experience for researchers, farmers, chefs, and food lovers to join in celebrating the development of new crop varieties.

Member Feature: W. Hughes Farms

July 20, 2025

One farm, many crops

Grains Grown Here Pilot Project Outcomes

July 15, 2025

A collaborative project with retailers to highlight local grains on their shelves.

AGC Spring 2025 Technical Assistance and Equipment Microgrant Program

July 8, 2025

AGC is thrilled to announce the recipients of our first-ever Technical Assistance and Equipment Microgrant!

Member Feature: Brandt Family Farm

June 13, 2025

Ohio farm focuses on soil health, seeds, and serving their community of farm partners and consumers

2025 AGC Member Survey

June 12, 2025

Executive Summary sharing data on AGC's network of grain chain stakeholders

Member Feature: Early Morning Harvest

May 17, 2025

Iowa grain farmer is both diversified and vertically integrated

Member Feature: Lakewinds Food Co-op

April 11, 2025

Minnesota grocery co-op celebrates 50 years of supporting local foods on many levels.

Midwest GRIT Impacts Continue

April 9, 2025

A sense of community and momentum has persisted among participants of the Midwest GRIT program.

Member Feature: Shady Side Farm

March 8, 2025

Michigan farm integrates livestock with a diverse array of grains and dry beans grown with regenerative, organic practices

Strategic Plan 2025-2027

March 4, 2025

AGC’s goals and objectives for the next 3 years

Member Feature: Madison Sourdough Co.

February 8, 2025

Madison, WI bakery a favorite for breads and pastries while also milling and actively engaging in grain breeding efforts.

Member Feature: Cow Creek Farm, RoseLee Farms, Silver Tree Spirits

January 12, 2025

Illinois farmers diversify with distilling and new tasting room

Member Feature: Vertical Malt

November 17, 2024

Malthouse grows on a Minnesota farm

Giant Jones Brewing at the Great American Beer Festival

November 16, 2024

Jessica and Erika Jones, of Giant Jones Brewing in Madison, spent a week of October 2024 in Denver as judges and pouring their beers as part of the Great American Beer Festival. Below is their account of the experience.

Member Feature: Mud Run Farm Organics

October 20, 2024

Father and daughter team grow and mill Ohio grains.

Member Feature: Local Millers

August 25, 2024

Ohio family mills “farm to table flour” and raises local grain awareness.

Regional Consumer Perspectives: AGC's Grain Views & Habits Survey Data Analysis Report

July 29, 2024

The origin, objectives, process, and findings — consumer insights to help regional grain farmers, processors and end-users better educate eaters about regional grains.

Member Feature: M.A.D. Bakery

July 21, 2024

Iowa baker forgoes engineering career for her American Dream

Member Feature: Schram Haus Brewery

June 20, 2024

Chaska, MN brewery strives to connect back to the land as part of their heritage brewing

Member Feature: Practical Farmers of Iowa

May 17, 2024

Serving farmers since 1985 with farmer-led research and education focused on farm viability and stewardship of land and resources.

Member Feature: ORIGIN Breads

April 21, 2024

A Wisconsin bakery committed to baking small batches of long-fermented sourdough breads using 100% organic grains grown and stone milled in Wisconsin.

Member Feature: Fresher Together

March 31, 2024

Farming and feeding community with accessible staple foods

Member Profile: Farm Club

February 26, 2024

Farm-to-kitchen-to-brewery-to-table and so much more, this Michigan enterprise is an "agricultural project at its core."

Member Profile: Askegaard Organic Farm

January 28, 2024

Sixth-generation family farm near Moorhead, MN is committed to organic agriculture and healthy rural communities.

Member Profile: Simple

November 19, 2023

Wisconsin café, bakery, and market is working to change sourcing patterns

Member Profile: Mad Agriculture

October 20, 2023

Regional nonprofit is working to catalyze a regenerative revolution in farming

Member Profile: Baker's Field Flour & Bread

September 17, 2023

These miller/bakers work directly with farmers, bringing human-scale milling back to the "Mill City" (Minneapolis-St. Paul)

2023 AGC Member Survey

September 6, 2023

In early 2023, AGC released our first-ever Annual Member Survey. This survey will serve as the baseline for AGC to measure our impact.

Member Profile: Judson & Moore Distillery

August 25, 2023

Filling their first barrels with whiskey in early 2020, this distillery is a family’s shared dream turned reality, down to the tasting room and weekly line-up of live music.

Member Profile: Doubting Thomas Farms

July 30, 2023

Certified organic staple crops farm near Moorhead, Minnesota fosters a wide range of farmers and farmer training

2022 Grain Views & Habits Survey Summary

July 29, 2023

Highlights from AGC's consumer survey on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to grain

Member Profile: Lost Larson

June 26, 2023

A bakery dedicated to regionally grown, fresh flour and serving up traditionally-inspired bakery to Chicago's Andersonville community and beyond.

Member Profile: Red Stone Rice

May 19, 2023

Developing rice as a Midwestern crop

Member Profile: Dorothy Lane Market

April 23, 2023

Specialty grocer Dorothy Lane Market contracts over 50 acres of grain for their artisan bakehouse, serving their three locations in western Ohio.

Member Profile: C3 Seeds

March 19, 2023

C3 Seeds serves a need for certified seed and critical seed-cleaning for grain in Southwest Michigan.

Member Profile: ALT Brew

February 28, 2023

Gluten Free beers don't have to sacrifice flavor, and this Madison, WI brewery is out to prove it.

Getting to Know the Grain Chain

February 21, 2023

How many newsletters do you read from AGC members? Check this list for a hint at what you might be missing! Photo: Winter barley from Linda Halley, Gwenyn Hill Farm

Member Profile: Perennial Pantry

January 30, 2023

Perennial Pantry is bringing perennial grain into kitchens in a delicious way. Pictured: products from their monthly CSA offering from November 2022

Member Profile: Far North Spirits

October 16, 2022

Minnesota distillery highlights regionality. Photo: Starr Gazers Photography

Member Profile: Michigan Agriculture Advancement

October 2, 2022

Providing opportunities for farmer-to-farmer connection is one of MiAA’s main program areas.

Member Profile: Albert Lea Seed

August 30, 2022

The third generation family & employee-owned seed company began in Albert Lea, Minnesota in 1923, and is still focused on customer service and a commitment to serve all types of farms.

Member Profile: Zingerman's Bakehouse

August 7, 2022

Zingerman's Bakehouse has been working to build partnerships to advance regional grains. Shown above is their 8-grain 3-seed loaf, made with Michigan grains.

Member Profile: Delightful Pastries

July 10, 2022

Dobra had worked in a variety of Chicago bakeries, and didn’t care for the ingredients she had to use. Growing up in Poland, she knew a different approach.

Member Profile: Ohio Till Farmstead

June 26, 2022

Ohio Till Farmstead is a farm that very much wanted to happen, and through many tendrils of research and spider-webbing, Tim and Michelle have brought their vision to its beginning.

Member Profile: Middle Brow Brewery & Bungalow

June 5, 2022

Middle Brow began as a philanthropic brewery, donating most-to-all of what they earned to social justice groups. In 2017, they landed in Chicago's Logan Square, then opened Bungalow in 2019 with the addition of a bakery and pizza oven.

Member Profile: Cress Spring Bakery

May 15, 2022

Jeff’s initial idea was to build a small oven behind the barn at Cress Spring Farm and occasionally bake bread for friends. It took a few years for his plans to ferment, and over that period the vision turned into a full fledged bakery.

Member Profile: Long Table Pancakes

May 1, 2022

The name Long Table comes from Samuel’s vision of food that goes back generations, and forward, too.

Member Profile: Iowa Food Hub

April 10, 2022

Iowa Food Hub (IFH) is a navigator and match-maker that provides locally-grown food to schools, colleges, restaurants, and grocery stores in and around Decorah, Iowa.

Strategic Plan 2022-2024

April 8, 2022

Developing AGC's first strategic plan was a nine-month process guided by input from 90+ AGC members across the Midwest grain value chain.

Member Profile: Janie's Farm & Mill

March 27, 2022

Janie's Farm and Mill in Danforth and Ashkum, IL produces organic, stone-milled heritage and whole grain flours for wholesale and retail markets throughout the Midwest and beyond.

Member Profile: Seven Sundays

March 6, 2022

Seven Sundays is an exemplary business not just for its growth, but in how it has grown. From the start, Hannah prioritized working directly with farmers whenever possible, finding new and thoughtful routes to ingredients, and authentically telling the brand’s unique story.

Member Profile: Branstrator Farm

February 20, 2022

The fifth-generation caretaker of his family farm, Jon Branstrator is currently growing heritage varieties of grains and squash on 175 acres in Southwest Ohio.

Member Profile: Doughp Creations

February 6, 2022

Michele now mills grains from nearby AGC members A-Frame, Ben Penner, and Askegaard Farms into flour on-site, and bakes sourdough loaves she sells locally and ships all over the country.

Member Profile: State Line Distillery

January 23, 2022

As places like State Line use grains grown nearby, they're modeling what it takes to link spirits directly to the land "grain to glass", demonstrating the worth of this pursuit, and carving a path for others to follow.

Go with the Grain - Farmers' Markets Prioritizing Regional Grains

January 21, 2022

A report on the practice of supporting regional grain economies through farmers' market policy

New Guide Sheds Light on Small Grains Insurance

November 21, 2021

One of the many management decisions involved with raising small grains is whether to purchase federal crop insurance. A new guide from the Center for Rural Affairs sheds light on the options available for crops such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye.

Member feature: Tortilleria Zepeda

November 14, 2021

Wisconsin tortilleria providing fresh, stone-ground, authentic Mexican corn tortillas made with locally-grown Midwest corn

Member Profile: Forever Green Initiative

October 3, 2021

University of Minnesota initiative devotes research and education efforts into a wide range of perennial crops.

Position Announcement: Network Engagement Manager

October 3, 2021

AGC seeks a Network Engagement Manager to create and execute a cohesive strategy for AGC member engagement and network building. Position is full-time or 0.75 FTE, with an anticipated start date of December 1, 2021.

Member Profile: The Land Institute

September 12, 2021

Knitting Equity into the Grain Chain

September 10, 2021

A panel discussion held July 28, 2021 during the Maine Grain Alliance's Kneading Equity Conference

New Legal Guide Helps Grain Farmers and Processors Navigate Food Safety Regulations

August 30, 2021

“Understanding FSMA's Preventive Controls Rule: A Guide for Grain Businesses” empowers grain farmers, processors, and food manufacturers to understand and comply with federal food safety laws.

Member Profile: Gwenyn Hill Farm

August 1, 2021

Wisconsin diversified farm finds grains to be a beneficial rotation with vegetables

Member Profile: Floriole Cafe and Bakery

July 11, 2021

Chicago "French-ish" bakery committed to following the seasons and building connections with regional farmers

Member Profile: Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

June 6, 2021

East Troy, WI organization works to support local food systems and sustainable farmers

Our Regional Grain Chain, Illustrated

June 2, 2021

Announcing AGC's grain chain infographic

Member Profile: Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grains

May 23, 2021

Illinois farm innovates with small grains and hopes to inspire others.

Member Profile: Beth Dooley's Kitchen

May 9, 2021

Minnesota locavore chef committed to helping people eat locally and sustainably with the seasons.

Member Profile: Maltwerks

April 25, 2021

Member Profile: Teffola

April 11, 2021

Michigan farm's alternative crop makes popular value-added product

Member Profile: Meadowlark Community Mill

March 14, 2021

Wisconsin farm adds mill built from community, for community

Member Profile: Two Eagles Distillery

February 28, 2021

Illinois distiller committed to grain within 100 miles pivots to produce hand sanitizer

Member Profile: Granor Farm

February 14, 2021

Michigan diversified farm offers a CSA, grains for regional processors and end-users, and on-farm dinners.

Member Profile: Ben Penner Farms

January 17, 2021

Minnesota farmer explores perennial crops along with consulting, teaching.

Member Profile: Bird Dog Baking

November 15, 2020

Michigan bakery startup built on serving community

Member Profile: Giant Jones Brewing Company

November 1, 2020

Wisconsin brewery passionate about being certified organic and supporting the community.

Member Profile: Hazzard Free Farms

October 18, 2020

Illinois farm run by woman committed to plant breeding efforts

Member Profile: NETZRO

September 6, 2020

Upcycling company adding value to spent grain from brewers, distillers

Member Profile: Muddy Fork Farm & Bakery

July 26, 2020

Indiana baker brings community together

Member Profile: Bang Brewing

June 7, 2020

Minnesota brewers deeply committed to working with organic ingredients from farmers they know

Connecting Youth to Agriculture

May 10, 2020

Member profile of Big Green’s school garden curriculum and new home learning resources

I Dream a Little Too Much of How Things Could Be

April 24, 2020

An interview with Luke Peterson of A-Frame Farm

Interview: Jesse Bussard, North American Craft Maltsters Guild

April 12, 2020

Discussion of craft malt and craft beer

Branding During Crisis

March 25, 2020

Interview with Matt Tanaka of Stout Collective

Grain, Flour, Bread, and Other Food and Beverage Resources in the Upper Midwest

March 24, 2020

Links to physical and online grain resources for the pandemic

Cascadia Grains 2020 Recap

January 30, 2020

Thoughts from the January 2020 Cascadia Grains conference

Sourdough September

September 23, 2019

Resources and a celebration of sourdough prompted by the Real Bread Campaign

In the End, Trust is All We Have

July 11, 2019

An Interview with Bob Quinn, author of Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food

Grain Elevator: In the Twin Cities, Artisan Grain Use Rises

June 24, 2019

James Beard Award-winning author Beth Dooley on AGC’s Minnesota Grains Gathering and the region’s artisan grains surge

Building a Food Story during Chicago Ideas Week

November 15, 2017

Introduction to thinking about our roles in a sustainable food system; hands-on learning from AGC members

AGC Receives Local Food Producer Promotion Grant for Our Work

October 11, 2017

Announcement of funding to support the introduction of small-batch artisan grains into the Chicago region