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Farmers Gather in Madison to Discuss ‘Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota’

LSP Networking Meeting Centers Around Producing, Processing & Marketing Wheat, Oats & Other Alternatives to Row Crops

August 6, 2025

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MADISON, Minn. — “Welcome to my midlife crisis,” joked Peter Haugen on a Saturday morning in early August as a couple dozen farmers stood in a semi-circle around him and his wife, Brittany, at the edge of a 12-acre field south of Madison.  The “crisis” Peter was referring to was what was growing in that field: emmer wheat, an ancient variety of grain sought after by specialty bakers. Over the hill was a 15-acre stand of einkorn wheat and down the road was a bright yellow stand of oats. Surrounding all these fields were crops more typically found in this part of the Midwest: corn and soybeans.

During a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” meeting hosted by the Haugens and Madison Mercantile on Aug. 2, participants learned from other farmers, as well as a milling expert, about the potential for diversifying their agricultural enterprises by growing a type of crop that has all but disappeared from rotations in the Upper Midwest in recent decades. The loss of small grains such as wheat and oats is unfortunate, said Peter, given that he’s found that integrating these crops into his rotation helps disrupt pest cycles and builds healthy soil. Interest in small grains has been gaining momentum in Minnesota recently. During a similar “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” event held by LSP in Albert Lea in January, over 150 farmers and ag professionals gathered to learn how others are rebuilding markets and vital infrastructure for small grains.

The Haugen farm had grown small grains in the past, and recently got back into them initially to provide a wider planting window for growing cover crops. But they soon discovered that it was extremely difficult to sell specialty wheat and other small grains via local elevators. So, three years ago they launched Sandhill Mill, an on-farm stone ground mill that sells flour direct to customers. Since the mill was started, the Haugens have not been able to keep up with demand. Brittany is an avid baker, and has developed branded pancake and brownie mixes from the flour they mill.

“This small grains journey has brought our two worlds together,” said Peter. “Brittany’s learning a little about farming, I’m learning a little bit about baking.”

Although processing one’s own small grain production isn’t for everyone, it can be a great way to add value to a crop that otherwise might be undervalued in an undifferentiated market, said Noreen Thomas, who, along with her husband, Lee, owns Doubting Thomas Farms near Moorhead, Minn. During the past three decades, Doubting Thomas has developed a diverse organic operation that raises a variety of crops, including small grains. The farm has some of its small grains processed off-farm into flour and cereal, which it markets locally and across the country.

“Every time you clean or process grain, you add value to it,” Thomas told the meeting participants who gathered at Madison Mercantile after the Haugen field tour.

Gilbert Williams agrees. In 2009, he and a partner launched Lonesome Stone Milling in southwestern Wisconsin. During the next dozen years, the mill developed a demand for locally produced small grains by, among other things, using marketing and packaging that informed consumers about who the individual farmers were that supplied the grain. Williams told participants in the Aug. 2 meeting that there is a growing subset of consumers that want the kind of healthy food that can be provided by a system that produces and processes small grains locally.

Focusing on health and the mission of supporting local farmers will get buyers’ initial attention, but “flavor will bring your customers back,” and a mill operator must focus on quality control and understanding food safety rules, said Williams, who sold his mill to Meadowlark Farm and Mill in Ridgeway, Wis., a few years ago. As the Haugens have discovered, online/social media marketing has been a major boon to people who are selling value-added specialty grain products.

“I think the market for this is still broad,” said Williams.

During the LSP field day and meeting, farmers and presenters discussed the barriers that stand in the way of getting more small grains integrated back onto area farms. Lack of a regional infrastructure that supports transportation, storage and marketing of small grains, as well as how government programs related to initiatives like crop insurance favor corn and soybeans, are significant problems, they said. And although barriers around marketing, for example, can be overcome via on-farm milling and online marketing, such a strategy is not feasible for everyone.

What’s needed is a general infrastructure that can support diversifying cropping systems in the state, said Laura Schreiber, LSP’s government relations director. That’s why it’s important for farmers and others who want to see more diversity on the landscape to support state and federal policies that promote integrating crops like wheat and oats into a corn-soybean rotation, she said. Working with its allies, LSP has had success during recent sessions of the Minnesota Legislature in getting public support for farmers who want to sell direct to schools and other institutions and who are interested in setting up local processing and aggregation systems.

“One of the common inflection points for addressing these issues is policy,” she said, adding that agriculture makes up the smallest portion of the Legislature’s regular budget outlays. “That’s ironic, given what a major role agriculture plays in the state’s economy. We need to make it a priority.”

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The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities in the food and farming system. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Montevideo, Lewiston and South Minneapolis. 
Brittany and Peter Haugen, displaying some of the products produced by their on-farm flour mill. “This small grains journey has brought our two worlds together,” said Peter. “Brittany’s learning a little about farming, I’m learning a little bit about baking.”
Category: News Releases
Tags: community-based food • direct-market • Doubting Thomas Farms • grain milling • Lonesome Stone Milling • oats • Sandhill Mill • small grains • soil health • wheat

Contact

Alex Kiminski, LSP organizer, 320-269-2105, e-mail

Photo Available

For a photo of the Aug. 2 “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” event, contact LSP’s Brian DeVore via e-mail

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September 2025

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All Day
Final Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Course
Monday September 1
Final Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Course

Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course, a year-long training program that focuses on the goal setting, marketing, and financial skills needed to establish a successful farm business. The Farm Beginnings course creates a space for folks to name their vision, acquire the tools and skills needed to make it happen, and become part of a community of support to help them succeed.  

The course will run from November 2025 through March 2026, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2026. 

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Soil Health Field Day on the Cotter Farm: Austin
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50203 205th St, Austin, MN 55912, USA

 Sign up today for a get-together down on Tom Cotter’s Farm. This field day brings together food companies, local farmers and other professionals in agriculture — a perfect opportunity for networking and discussion.
Hear from soil health experts, then board the Topless Bus to take a tour of Tom’s farm. A FREE TACO BAR LUNCH will featureTom’s own grass-fed beef, along with authentic, homemade tortillas and rice. Featured speakers include soil scientist Kris Nichols and agronomist Joe Ailts.
 
You can check out the field day flier here. For more details and to register, click here.

Saturday September 6

9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Soil & Food Health Field Day: Austin
Saturday September 6
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Soil & Food Health Field Day: Austin
50203 205th St, Austin, MN 55912, USA

Details are here.

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7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Anne Biklé in conversation with Ross Evelsizer: What Your Food Ate
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Anne Biklé in conversation with Ross Evelsizer: What Your Food Ate
Pulpit Rock Brewing Company, 207 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101, USA

Join Anne Biklé (co-author, What Your Food Ate: How to Restore Our Land and Reclaim Our Health) and NEIA RC & D Natural Resource Projects Director, Ross Evelsizer, for a conversation and Q & A session followed by a book signing. Everyone is invited to this free event sponsored by the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation, with support from Pulpit Rock Brewing and Dragonfly Books.
 
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'Growing Resilience' Field Day at Churchill Reserve Grass-Fed Beef
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36001 63rd Avenue Way Cannon Falls, MN, 55009

Spend a day with Clean River Partners and farmers discussing their experiences with different conservation management practices as they navigate the challenges of making a livelihood, accessing land and markets, and dealing with unpredictable weather conditions.

Join farmers Bryan Lips (BT Farms), Wendy Johnson (Jóia Food & Fiber Farm), Todd Churchill (Churchill Reserve), Helen Forsythe (Feed the People Farm Cooperative), and more, to discuss topics like wide-row corn and cover crops, the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, agroforestry, growing small grains, and prescribed grazing. 

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