A rye renaissance is coming

While wheat is by far the most widely grown grain in the United States, some would argue that the country was built on rye. “But these days,” Darby says, we’re “definitely seeing a revival.” A wave of farmers, bakers, distillers and brewers are embracing this small ancient grain — both for its unique flavor and culinary applications, she explains, “but also all of its regenerative ag properties that make it a great crop for farmers during climate change.” Why grow rye? But during that time, she also noticed a confluence of factors that would lead to her current work with rye as a grain — farmers’ desire to meet the needs of the state’s growing organic dairy market, increasingly in demand of feed, and culinary trends such as the locavore movement, spurring requests for local flour and baked goods, and the emergence of craft distilling. We need to make its benefits more known.” To further increase rye’s value to farmers, Darby partnered with June Russell, director of food programs at Glynwood Center for Regional Food & Farming and also a member of Rye Revival, on a four-year USDA grant to learn how to grow high-quality rye for food and beverage markets and develop a better understanding of varieties and their properties. If farmers, worried they could lose their farms, don’t feel pressured to make those kinds of decisions, she says, “they’re going to make better choices and be able to stay true to their calling, which is to keep our state, earth and climate healthy.” Building the rye business For Syburg, the way forward for farmers looks like a three-legged stool of a business plan: seed, animal feed and food.