Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food

A compelling agricultural story skillfully told; environmentalists will eat it up. - Kirkus Reviews When Bob Quinn was a kid, a stranger at a county fair gave him a few kernels of an unusual grain. Little did he know, that grain would change his life. Years later, after finishing a PhD in plant biochemistry and returning to his familys farm in Montana, Bob started experimenting with organic wheat. In the beginning, his concern wasnt health or the environment; he just wanted to make a decent living and some chance encounters led him to organics. But as demand for organics grew, so too did Bobs experiments. He discovered that through time-tested practices like cover cropping and crop rotation, he could produce successful yieldswithout pesticides. Regenerative organic farming allowed him to grow fruits and vegetables in cold, dry Montana, providing a source of local produce to families in his hometown. He even started producing his own renewable energy. And he learned that the grain he first tasted at the fair was actually a type of ancient wheat, one that was proven to lower inflammation rather than worsening it, as modern wheat does. Ultimately, Bobs forays with organics turned into a multimillion dollar heirloom grain company, Kamut International. In Grain by Grain, Quinn and cowriter Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground, show how his story can become the story of American agriculture. We dont have to accept stagnating rural communities, degraded soil, or poor health. By following Bobs example, we can grow a healthy future, grain by grain. See more