Well-known whiskey writer Clay Risen recently narrated exist New York Times How nal t’eel, a Mexican corn variety grown in the Yucatan Peninsula for more than 4,000 years, was saved when a local craft distillery began using it to make whiskey. While the revival of nal te’eel is a gripping and inspiring story in its own right, it is also part of a larger storyline. In the past ten years, Heritage Whiskey Movement has exploded—part of a larger renaissance of ancient and heirloom grains.
While there is disagreement about what constitutes an “heirloom” or “heritage” grain, some consider it to be a developed grain Before World War II While others define them as varieties Brought to the new world Immigrants – they have become catch-all term For grains that have not been significantly genetically modified, regardless of their age. Results range from whiskey made with jimmy red corn Millet sorghum sourdough bread from an artisan bakery.
It’s not just hipsters, foodies and the health-conscious who are swapping bleached flour for stone-ground buckwheat. The world’s oldest grain market is Expected With a compound annual growth rate of 37%, it will reach US$10 billion by 2032. Summed it up: “We’re seeing a return to tradition, going beyond tradition.”
Yet “tradition” is growing, not shrinking. Since the early 1990s, area The planting area of the “four major” basic crops including corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton has expanded. If consumers are increasingly interested in returning to old-fashioned grains and crops, why aren’t more farmers following suit?
Answer: The U.S. government.
Changing crops could mean turning down essentially free money. government subsidy That’s up to 60% of the cost of crop insurance premiums, but that presents a problem: This subsidy and others are heavily biased toward monoculture farming, where a single crop is grown on most or all of a farm’s available acreage. This means less crop diversity, less experimentation with humble cereal varieties, and less sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. also increased soil erosion and use fertilizer and pesticides.
modern agricultural policy start Under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, its purpose was to help struggling farmers during the Great Depression. The original legislation applied to a specific list of commodity crops, and although that list has expanded over time, it remains in place limited and dissuade Farmers experimented with special types of grains.
“Today’s crop insurance is both generous and safe for farmers like me who grow corn, soybeans and wheat,” explain Doug Doughty is a Missouri grain and livestock farmer. “It guarantees profitable yields and incomes. At the same time, it hinders innovation in more specialty crops that could better diversify and benefit our food supply.” Experience Research It has also been shown that subsidies reduce crop diversification because farmers often substitute subsidized crops for non-subsidised crops.
We see this in the area of perennial crops – defined as crops that live longer than two years and therefore do not need to be replanted every year – which, like heirloom crops, key figure; main force; important member The renaissance of modern regenerative agriculture. The environmental benefits of perennial crops are huge: They sequester more carbon than annuals, limit soil erosion, and reduce pesticide use.
One of the most promising perennial cereals is Kernza, a wheatgrass variety that many view as an alternative to traditional wheat and other grains. While researchers have only recently made Kernza viable, its origin from wheatgrass means its lineage dating back thousands of years. Kernza can live up to 3 to 5 years, and its deep root system not only helps it absorb carbon from the air, but also allows the plant to better withstand extreme weather events such as drought.
But only nearby 4,000 acres Kernza is currently grown in the United States, and as agricultural economists point out, it will never replace traditional annual crops unless the system is overhauled. “You can’t just change crops,” says University of Iowa economist Sylvia Sage Tell 2022 NPR. “This is the whole system that we need to modify.”
This is because the current crop insurance system is tied to losses suffered Per year, rather than losses spanning multiple years. Therefore, although many perennial cereals can technically be insured, there are no mechanisms in place to ensure the productivity of perennial crops throughout their life cycle. Perennials also often require more upfront time and investment to bear fruit, something that current insurance plans don’t take into account either.
Its impact was not limited to cereals but also extended to other rediscovered crops. American hazelnuts, some of which have been Foreshadow As an alternative to soybeans in the upper Midwest, they are also perennials and face a similar uphill battle.
Not surprisingly, those who benefit most from the current system – big agriculture and the large global seed conglomerates –Lobby loudly Used to protect current systems and maintain the integrity of a single culture.
Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms and a self-proclaimed “Christian liberal environmentalist capitalist lunatic,” said: “Any time you impose economic protection on a crop, it hurts innovative competitors in the market.” survivability. explain Year 2014. [Department of Agriculture] Let farmers prosper or decline based on their own innovation and understanding of the market.
Contrary to U.S. agricultural policy, New Zealand decided in the 1980s exclude Almost all agricultural subsidies. Far from being catastrophic, agricultural productivity has improved, agriculture’s share of the country’s gross domestic product continues to grow, and biodiversity has improved as the use of chemical fertilizers has declined.
As long as our government plays it safe and determines which crops our farmers should prioritize growing, we will miss out on many known benefits and yet to be discovered benefits of more diverse grains. Debate over a new farm bill is coming to a head in Congress. crescendo in the coming weeks. Maybe it’s time to invest in a bottle of traditional whiskey – not only to relieve stress, but also to provide some solidarity to this little corner of the food world.
