Heritage Grains: Making a Comeback in Northern New Mexico

By Christine Salem, Rio Grande Grain

^{Grain fields at Earth L.A.W.S. learning farm and nourishment hub. Photo by Isabelle Jenniches CC BY 2.0}

Northern New Mexico used to be our state’s breadbasket, bourgeoning with up to 300 mills. Now our flour, mostly un-nutritious white, is grown in the upper Midwest and Saskatchewan. These grains have been bred for high yield and are sold on the commodity markets to processors who supply consumer and commercial bakers with a product that increasingly beggars farmers’ income and consumers’ health.

In response, a small group of farmers, gardeners, and bread bakers have organized under the name Rio Grande Grain, working to bring our grains back to their roots. Since spring of 2018, we have trialed over 60 varieties of heritage and ancient wheat, rye, and barley, in small plots near Alcalde. Over four growing seasons, we have collected qualitative and quantitative data on each variety and discovered a few that are strong performers in our unique high desert region.

In fall 2019 we were able to move from trial to seed-increase quantities of our top performing varieties—Khorasan (aka
Kamut ®), Sonoran white, einkorn, emmer, turkey red, red fife, and marquis wheat; rebel and Swiss mountain rye, and Tibetan purple barley. The following year we had enough seed to share with local farmers ready to try a crop that supports regenerative agriculture principles and fetches a far higher price than commodity grain.

^{Photos courtesy Alessandra Haines, Rio Grande Grain.}

Farming in our region is different. Our fields are small compared to the vast acreages in the upper Midwest. As farm families lost a generation or two to jobs in the city, many fields now lie abandoned and are being colonized by stubborn Siberian elms.

Fortunately, the combined forces of the environmental and the locavore movement are beginning to reverse the decline of market farming and pave the way for locally-grown heritage grains to return to our fields, bakeries and pantries. It has been exciting to see progress over the past 5 or so years as farmers, millers, and bakers embrace heritage grains and whole grain food production. These producers value heritage grains for their contributions to human and environmental health and community.

^{Buck Johnston of Earth L.A.W.S. examines the result of roller crimping a cover crop. Photo by Isabelle Jenniches CC BY 2.0}

New Mexico is riding a national trend toward foods that are grown locally and sustainably. Grain is an increasingly important component of this movement. Each year we see more New Mexico growers, millers and bakers and even brewers joining the grain chain. A free community event on Sunday July 21, 2024 in Taos will feature several leaders in the local grain movement:

• Ron Boyd of La Villita Farms is a founding member of Rio Grande Grain. Over the past 5 years he has consistently increased his acreage in heritage grains. He currently has four acres of grain ready to harvest that he will clean to food grade and sell to local bakeries, including Poppy Ridge Bakery.
• Dylan Sparks and Laura Kosowski built a wood-fired bread oven and launched Poppy Ridge Bakery (formerly known as Jacona Village Bakery). They incorporate heritage wheat like Turkey Red and Sonoran White they source from Ron and other growers into delicious sourdough breads and pastries. Their artisan breads can be found at Santa Fe Farmers Market and by pre-order at a handful of locations in northern New Mexico.
• Buck Johnston is an environmentalist and farmer in Taos. He recently launched Earth Land and Water Stewardship (Earth L.A.W.S.), a non-profit learning farm and nourishment hub dedicated to farmer-to-farmer education and capacity building. Earth L.A.W.S. in collaboration with Rodale Institute, Rio Grande Grain and NM Healthy Soil Working Group is hosting the upcoming Soil, Seed and Bread event.

^{Wheat fields at La Villita Farms. Photo by Isabelle Jenniches CC BY 2.0}

Join these and others who are bringing grains back to New Mexico for Soil, Seed and Bread–A field day rooted in Nourishment Economics for farmers, bakers, millers and grain lovers. The free community gathering will take place on Sunday, July 21, 8:30-2:30 in Taos, New Mexico. During a field walk to several production fields we will talk about heritage grain growing and its history in our region, organic certified grain and cover crop seed production and more. There will be hands-on demonstrations of specialized small scale grain equipment. The event will culminate in a farmer, miller, baker panel to further define and celebrate all things grain.

A networking lunch will be provided as well as Rio Grande Grain’s famous baked goods made with locally grown, freshly-milled, heritage grains. This event is presented by and supported through Earth L.A.W.S., Rodale Institute, Rio Grande Grain, and NM Healthy Soil Working Group. Register here for Soil, Seed and Bread

Together we are returning to our roots to learn how to grow locally-adapted, climate-resilient, soil-supporting grain crops for our future in northern New Mexico. If you’d like to know more, visit https://riograndegrain.org.

Christine Salem is a lifelong gardener, and since 2018, a sour-dough baker and grain grower. She is a co-founder of Rio Grande Grain, a grass-roots non-profit promoting better environmental and human health in New Mexico by growing and eating heritage grains.