Eugene weekly., November 08, 2012, Image 19

BEAN & GRAIN
HOMECOMING
ROBIN CUSHMAN | ROBINCUSHMANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Supplying quality organic foods to natural food
stores from San Francisco to Seattle
Proud to be contracting with Oregon farmers
for more than 500 acres of organic staple crops.
Look for Organic Oregon Grown dry beans,
whole grains, stone-ground flour,
and edible seeds at these stores:
Capella Market, Grower's Market, The Kiva, Red Barn,
Sundance, Market of Choice stores in Eugene and Corvallis,
Thistledown Farm Market, First Alternative Co-op - Corvallis,
Sunshine General Store - Cottage Grove
150 Shelton McMurphey Blvd, Ste 104, Eugene, OR
(541) 686-0921 hummingbirdwholesale.com
PAID SUPPLEMENT
Filling Our Pantries
with Local Foods
by Dan Armstrong
W
hen we talk about local foods, most of us think of fresh fruits and vegetables
grown by farmers we know. When we think of organic food, it often congers
the same image - beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables. But when we break
down our diets, we fi nd that for most of us, a large percentage of what we eat
is grain based (breads, cereals, crackers, rice, pasta, tortillas), and beans also
factor in as an important protein source. Grains and legumes are not often included in the
touted cornucopia of fresh local foods, but they are fundamental to our diet and provide the
foundation for a self-reliant and stable food system.
At issue is more than just the expansion of our platter of local food choices. The heart of
the local food movement is long term food security and the resiliency of our food system.
That means increasing the diversity of local production, providing the infrastructure
to support that diversity, and having a distribution system to make it available to local
consumers. With the production of fruits and vegetables already established, the key
additions are protein sources like legumes and whole grains. Fortunately for those of us in
the Willamette Valley, the intentional reinvigoration of our food system with the production
of grains, dry beans and edible seeds is well underway.
About six years ago, an awareness of the value of producing staple crops locally
evolved out food security discussions at the Ten Rivers Food Web (TRFW) in Corvallis.
The Willamette Valley was way out ahead in the local food movement with direct sales
of organic fruits and vegetables, but the
staples portion was missing. Although
the south valley has a history of growing
a variety of grains—wheat, barley,
oats and rye – grass seed has been the
predominate crop since 1980. Of the
900,000 acres of fi eld crops grown
in the valley in 2006, nearly 600,000
acres were used for the production
grass seed and not quite 30,000 for soft,
white wheat—once our leading crop by
acreage. Two questions arose from the
food security discussion in Corvallis:
Would it be possible to transition some
of the valley’s acreage to growing local
grains and legumes as a deliberate effort
to increase local resiliency? Could this
be done in a way that was economically
viable for the farmers as well as the
consumers?
Harry MacCormack, a Corvallis
organic farmer, and in 2006 a board
member of the TRFW, began an
experiment to fi nd out. He planted a
variety of grains—notably hard red
wheat—and dry beans on his farm.
When the early returns suggested that,
yes, dry beans and wheat for bread
baking might just be viable crops in
the valley, he connected with local grass seed producer Willow Coberly of Stalford Seed
Farms. Willow immediately saw the value of this work and in 2007 trialed hard red wheat.
In 2008, she expanded her trials to include several 20-acre plots of dry beans. This was
the beginning of what became the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project, an
ad hoc consortium of farmers and local food advocates who began to promote the idea of
adding organic dry beans and grains to our menu of local foods.
Since 2006, there was been slow but steady progress in this work. Each year another
few farmers add grains and legumes to their fi elds. Stalford Seed Farms has added milling
to its business model with Greenwillow Grains in Brownsville. Tom and Sue Hunton
of Huntons’ Farm in Junction City have opened Camas Country Mill. Open Oak Farm
outside Crawfordsville and Lonesome Whistle Farm on River Road have established bean
and grain CSAs. Hard red wheat, rye, barley, oats, triticale, teff, fl ax, fl int and dent corn,
buckwheat, lentils, garbanzo beans, black beans, pinto beans, and scores of heirloom dry
beans are some of the new products you can now fi nd at Willamette Valley farmers’ markets
and other retail outlets. Something’s happening here, and we can now “taste” the change!
It must be added that this transition, this effort to incorporate high protein staple crops
into the local agricultural model, has not been easy. These farms have taken huge risks
to make the transition. There have been failures and successes. Each year presents new
obstacles and new insights. So it’s important to stress that what these farmers are doing is
benefi cial to all of us in the long run, but in the short term they take the gamble. Our part
as consumers, in what MacCormack refers to as the “big experiment”, is to support these
farms, buy their products, and spread the word. ◆
The heart of
the local food
movement
is long term
food security
and the
resiliency
of our food
system
Local food advocate Dan Armstrong is a novelist, backyard bean and grain grower, and the keeper of the
Southern Willamette Valley Bean & Grain Project archives. See mudcitypress.com
WILLAMETTE FARM AND FOOD COALITION: BEAN & GRAIN HOMECOMING