Farming for Flavor
Schnadt Family Grows Food and Traditions Story by Amy Eckelberg, Photos by Raegan Statler
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Rural Route
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ot every farmer gets to see their crop used in a kitchen or served at a table. That’s not the case for Evan and Rochelle Schnadt who farm with their two children near Lodi. They raise, harvest and process specialty grains for their milling business, Heartland Craft Grains. Their crops span the spectrum of ancient to mod� ern varieties of wheat, rye, oats and corn, which can be found at family tables, restaurants, breweries and bakeries across Wisconsin. Evan shared their inspiration to experiment with these special varieties came after watching a documentary series called “Chef’s Table.” “They were talking about breeding crops for flavor and how different varieties carried different attributes desirable in the culinary space,” explained Evan. “It got us curious and looking into new, and even lost varieties of grains that may have fallen out of favor as agriculture production and global demand evolved.” No matter the part of the world, most cultures have a main grain component. The global perspective fascinates the Schnadts as they market their Wisconsin-grown grains to foodies and chefs, finding a place on their menus. “Grains are a deep part of many communities, including our own here in Wisconsin – from the growing and harvesting to the communal activity to prepare them for consumption. Prior to earning the title of America’s Dairyland, wheat was Wisconsin’s first major agricultural crop. We are taking what we learned growing up on our family’s farms, to now grow for flavor based on genetic attributes and marketing to a different customer,” said Rochelle. Working with ancient grains and unique varieties has been a learning curve for the Schnadts. As they began to incorporate unique varieties into their crop rotation and regenerative practices, they experienced both successes and failures. It took some trial and error to figure out what worked best for their land and the nutrient cycling in their soil. “We have a lot of conversations with our custom� ers about our land and how we farm, all the way through to how we process our grain and what ends up in bags of our product,” shared Rochelle. “When you control the whole process, you have a unique perspective on the food system. Customers are interested to learn about regenerative agriculture and how practices are implemented on our farm we share what we do to build our soil’s health such as keeping the soil in place on our rolling hills by no-tilling and using cover crops and stone-milling to retain as much nutrition and flavor from our grains. We want this land that we paid good money for to be fruitful for many years to come. And we want to build connections with consumers who are seeking them. It’s definitely part of our story and legacy we’re creating.”
WISCONSIN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION