LOCAL FOOD INNOVATORS
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nnovation in the local food space is not only about the latest technology and newest equipment. Farmers in our region are innovating by being mindful, returning to traditional practices, mimicking nature, and relocalizing the full circle of production. We spoke to some regional farmers to find out how their practices are following this new mode of innovation.
HILLSIDE GRAIN “Tasty, nutritional, and sustainable food starts in the field,” states Brett Stevenson, owner of Hillside Grain. This simple philosophy permeates everything she does. In the fields, Hillside is experimenting with wheat varieties from WSU Bread Lab that work to combat climate change and increase the nutritional value and flavor of the end product. Brett’s milling process is a hybridized new and old world system that specializes in highextraction flour that includes bran and germinate for nutrition and flavor. The process yields a product that performs more like white flour than whole wheat flour. Now, Hillside Grain is embarking on the next step towards completing the cycle. The addition of a bread oven allows Brett and her team to close the loop on their production model, going from seed to plate. “We are in grain-growing country. There is no reason why we shouldn’t have broad access to delicious, nutritious, fresh bread made from locally grown grain. Making that tangible connection between producers and consumers within our community means a lot to me,” she says. Having a bakery on site will also inform decisions in the field. They will be able to experiment with new types of grain and find the ones that work in harmony with the land, the mill, and the oven. “We want our grains to be good for the land and environment (low water needs, higher carbon sequestration, soil building) and maintain great flavor and nutrition,” says Brett.
EE-DA-HO RANCH “Our goal is farm and ranch financial viability that builds the land’s ecological health and therefore sustainable capacity,” states Ee-da-ho Ranch owner Werner Morawitz. Utilizing regenerative practices, the ranch is exploring ways to layer different agricultural businesses on the landscape. “In a way, this layering of minds, hands, and 76
