More Thoughts on Small Scale Small Grains...

After yesterdays post, where I mentioned my interest in raising small, and the comments that followed I decided I would try and do a little research into small scale small grain farming. What I found was ... NOT MUCH. Of course Gene Logsdon wrote a book quite awhile ago specifically on this topic, "Small-Scale Grain Raising", but it is out of print and is really expensive. I am going to see if I can check it out via inter-library loan, but for now I did find an article from ATTRA. The article titled, "Organic Small Grain Production" wasn't exactly what I was looking for, and dealt more with a larger scale production than I was thinking of. But, in that article I did find a link to another ARRTA publication titled, "Marketing Organic Grains".

Both of these articles had a large focus on certified organic production methods, but I did find the marketing article interesting. The article mentions that the organic grain markets have a tendency to go up and down (sounds like the conventional markets), but are around twice the price most of the time. But, I am specifically thinking about value-added grain products. If I was going to sell to larger organic grain buyers I would have to produce a large quantity and a highly consistent grain, but what if I wasn't selling the raw materials?

Here are some thoughts that I had. I do not know all of the details that would go into them as far as governmental regulations and I know a certified kitchen would be needed for some of the baked goods, but I think it is something to consider. If I could take a small plot of grain and turn it into consumer consumables and even possible animal food I think it would be an interesting venture.

Things that I have thought about:

-Selling freshly ground wheat flour at local farmers markets or from the farm.

-Selling homegrown corn meal in the same locations as above.

-Using the wheat flour to bake value-added products such as breads, cinnamon rolls, and other baked goods.

-Even possibly producing organic animal feeds.

I would love to hear from anyone who have thoughts on the subject of small grains or marketing them. Also, I have always thought that multiple minds were better than one or in this case multiple internet searches are better than one ... So, if you have run across any good articles, forum posts, blogs, etc. dealing with raising small grains on a small scale I would love to check them out. I'm not sure if I will ever give the small grain idea shot, but I think it is important to explore as many farm marketing opportunities as I can.

The Contrary Farmer :: Chapter 10 Book Report

"Winter Wheat, Spring Oats, Summer Clover, Fall Pasture" ... that is the title of the final chapter in Gene Logsdon's book, "The Contrary Farmer". The main topic of this chapter is the role that small grains can play on the "cottage farm". As I have mentioned in other posts about Mr. Logsdon's book her runs a very diverse farm that includes livestock and a rotation of pastures and grains. Just as with the corn he isn't talking about large plots, but rather he plants smaller areas that he uses for hay and grains for his livestock.

Mr. Logsdon sees small grains as an important part of the contrary farm because they provide different sources of feed and bedding. If one crop doesn't work out then he likes to have back-ups ... that is the beauty of diversification. He spends extra time talking about wheat, oats, and hay in this chapter, but also touches on a few other small grains such as soybeans and rye. Each of these small grain crops has its benefits for the small cottage farmer that helps the farm ... if you have the right equipment (see last chapters report).

He likes the wheat because it can be planted in the fall which spreads out his work load and gives him the possibility of grazing for a short time in the fall on the new wheat field. While wheat is good Mr. Logsdon believes that oats is more important to the small farmer because it is higher in protein and other minerals and mixes well with corn for feeding. Also, the oats will provide you with straw that you can use as bedding. One interesting method for harvesting oats that he explains in this chapter comes Karl Kuerner, Jr. Mr. Kuerner lets his oat grains ripen just a little more than when you would regularly when making oat hay and then bales the oats. The result is bales that can be feed in the winter that includes oat grains ... either then animals eat the whole thing or they munch out the grains and the rest can be pushed in to their area for bedding (that sounds like something I would try for horses).

My Final Thoughts... All in all these last few of chapters on grain and farm equipment have really made me think about how I want to farm. While I'm not sure if I will be adding them all to my farming plan I believe it was good to look at things from the other side of the fence. Mr. Logsdon is really a "contrary farmer" ... he doesn't line up with the organics ... he leaves the pasture only stuff to the guys with more land ... and he is not anywhere near the conventional farmers. The reality of it is that if you are going to farm for a full-time living I think you need to think differently and this book has helped me do that. I would encourage you to check this "The Contrary Farmer," by Gene Logsdon ... especially if you are a "cottage farmer" who has other sources of income, but also is a farmer.