SUE HUNTON
Food for the Soul
by Lynne Fessenden
T
om Hunton likes to talk about the three kinds of food he grows on his family’s farm
in Junction City: food for humans, food for animals, and food for the soil. Recently,
Hunton has begun to realize that the act of providing nourishment to his community
has nourished his spirit, and so he now adds a fourth food to his list … food for the soul.
The primary crops on Hunton’s third generation family farm still include forage
and turf grasses, clover seed, meadowfoam, and a variety of vegetable seeds. In the last
four years, Hunton and his son Jason have transitioned 400 of their 2,700 acres from seed
crops into food for humans, namely grains and legumes. 130 of those acres are now certi-
fi ed organic, and an additional 75 will be certifi ed in 2013.
Hunton and his family opened Camas Country Mill in April 2011 with support from
Charlie and Julie Tilt, owners of Hummingbird Wholesale. There has not been an opera-
tional grist mill in Lane County since 1930. The Huntons have been selling their freshly
ground fl ours, whole grains, and dry beans at several area farmers markets, as well as
through wholesale distributors like Hummingbird and Glory Bee Foods.
Deb McGeorge, Food Resource Manager for FOOD for Lane County (FFLC), heard
Tom Hunton speak about growing beans and grains for local consumption at the annual
Local Food Connection event. McGeorge, started pondering the idea of how the food bank
might use these crops in pantry food boxes. Finding non-perishable protein sources is a
continual challenge, as canned fi sh is expensive, and the peanut butter recalls in recent
years have added another level of food safety issues to worry about.
McGeorge contacted Hunton last December. Of the various bean and grain combina-
tions the Huntons had been marketing for soup, he suggested the lentil-barley pair because
both grow well in the valley, and cook relatively quickly (30-40 minutes). FFLC staff
started experimenting with the soup right away. Glory Bee Foods agreed to donate spices.
McGeorge and the FFLC board were thrilled with the outcome. She says, “Not only is
it great tasting and easy to cook, but barley is good for diabetics, and this option makes
vegetarians and vegans happy.” In February 2012, Food for Lane County purchased all of
Huntons’ lentils and hulless barley, approximately 7,500 pounds.
The conversation then shifted to “intentional growing” for the food bank. Would the
Huntons consider planting crops specifi cally for this effort? The FFLC project was a cata-
lyst for the Oregon Food Bank, which got on board quickly and placed an order for 240,000
pounds. Hunton convinced four other area farms to plant lentils last spring (Farver Broth-
ers, Parker Seed, Nixon Farms, Egge Seed Farm). At harvest time this fall, they did not
meet the yields they had hoped for, but came close and will be able to provide enough for
statewide distribution of the soup mix.
Hunton emphasizes that all of this happened with a series of verbal agreements, no written
contracts, and that there was a high level of trust between everyone to do the right thing. He
says, “The rewards come from both ends in this relationship.” The agreed upon price met the
farmers’ needs, and was one the food bank could manage. And the new demand means these are
viable rotational crops for grass seed growers. The crops purchased by the food banks were not
certifi ed organic, and Hunton still sees challenges ahead in “growing affordable food for all.”
McGeorge says “It’s made a huge difference in the kind of food we distribute.” She and
her colleagues recently attended the Feeding America Food Resourcing Conference in Chi-
cago where they presented the soup project partnership to other food banks from around
the country. Their presentation drew a standing ovation. Talk about food for the soul. ◆
Lynne Fessenden is Executive Director of the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition, a community nonprofi t
connecting farmers and consumers in Lane County, lanefood.org.
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WE ARE PROUD TO SERVE LOCAL
GRAINS AND VEGETABLES
Oregon Coast Salmon Dinner $11.95
Home made Apple , Berry & Pumpkin Pie
monday-friday 7am-9pm
saturday 8am-9pm • sunday 8am-8pm
449 Blair Blvd • 541-345-1695
Camas Country Mill
serving Willamette Valley growers and consumers
since April 2011
Your source for locally grown and milled whole grains,
including: heirloom wheats, spelt, rye, barley, emmer, buckwheat and teff
Founded by Tom and Sue Hunton, of Huntons’ 3rd generation family farm in Junction City
camascountrymill.com
WILLAMETTE FARM AND FOOD COALITION: BEAN & GRAIN HOMECOMING
541-357-5448
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