Steve Lyon, who was a grain farmer for 13 years and spent the last 23 years as a researcher developing new wheat varieties, will join us throughout the day to provide context about the region. Steve works with the Washington State University Bread Lab Plant Breeding Program, which breeds and conducts research on thousands of new and forgotten lines of wheat, barley, buckwheat, and other small grains to identify those that perform well for farmers, and that are most suitable for craft baking, cooking, malting, brewing, and distilling.

We’ll start out the day by meeting with farmers who are part of the Shepherd’s Grain cooperative, learning about the no-till practices they employ and the economic realities for many mid- to large-scale grain farmers. You’ll get a chance to meet with several different farmers who will share their deep knowledge and histories of family farming in the region.

We’ll also learn about another major initiative in the region that is being spearheaded by Don Scheuerman, who operates Palouse Colony Farm where he raises heritage grains (also known as landrace grains) for local markets. We’ll learn about how these grains and his production practices and philosophy are unique in the region. Through his collaboration on The Grain Shed in Spokane’s South Perry neighborhood, Don is helping to develop a direct connection between grain farmers, processors, and consumers. At the end of the day, we’ll meet up with the Building a Local Foodshed tour at the Grain Shed to chew on reflections about the day and share some tasty bites.