The Artisan Grain Collaborative (AGC) is a collective of farmer, millers, maltsters, bakers, chefs, brewers, distillers, agriculture researchers and affiliated organizations working together to build upon regenerative agriculture practices that steward the health of communities, local economies and natural resources.
With the coronavirus pandemic greatly affecting communities and their economies, the AGC has launched a program to highlight the importance of regional food systems and to support area farmers, millers, bakers and eaters.
The Neighbor Loaves program asks consumers to purchase Neighbor Loaves from participating bakeries. Bakers source grain from local sustainable farms and bake Neighbor Loaves which contain at least 50% locally grown stone-milled flour. Neighbor Loaves are then distributed to community feeding organizations to support people in need.
The initiative secures the local grain chain during the pandemic. Farmers are currently planting grain and need to know they’ll have a place to sell this year’s crop. Local mills need to keep busy grinding last year’s grain, while bakers are facing reduced revenue in this new environment.
Customers can purchase Neighbor Loaves from the following participating bakeries:
- Baker’s Field Flour & Bread – Minneapolis, MN
- Hewn – Evanston, IL
- Lost Larson – Chicago, IL
- Madison Sourdough – Madison, WI
- Muddy Fork Farm & Bakery – Bloomington, IN
- ORIGIN Breads – Madison, WI
Bakers who want to begin producing Neighbor Loaves can find more information here. There is also a list of resources to find local grain and flour in the Upper Midwest and throughout the country.
