Urban Grain

Chris Hergesheimer is the project coordinator for the South Western BC Grain Chain Project.  He will be demonstrating his human-powered grain mill while on site at the Back Porch during the 2010 Slow Food Cycle Tour.  He will be producing fresh, whole grain wheat flour from wheat grown at Cedar Isle Farm in Agassiz.  There will be flour for sale.  Chris Hergesheimer is attending Terra Madre 2010! 

By blending research, education, and action into an exciting array of initiatives, The Southwestern British Columbia (SWBC) Grain Chain Project aims to link consumers and businesses in this area of the province with locally grown and processed grain products. In this area of the province, small scale grain agriculture has experienced recent growth because of the concerns over food security and sovereignty.  By creating, enhancing and strengthening the links being created, the overall vision of this grain community is to expand the production capacity and infrastructure needed to successfully grow, process, and market local grain products. 

In addition to a planned networking and information site (Fall 2010) as a practical tool for connecting local people with locally grown and/or processed grains, the Grain Chain Project operates a highly successful grain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) now in its second year.  Urban Grains provides shareholders an opportunity to follow a season of grain activities and share in the harvest as a result of working closely with the family at Cedar Isle Farm in Agassiz, BC.

Intertwined with this practicality of course is an educational stream; to organize and facilitate community based learning opportunities, running the scale from formal lectures to workshops in the dirt. The Grain Chain Project has facilitated formal research endeavors by partnering with students from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia in 2009 and 2010. In addition to two farm visits for CSA shareholders, our latest public educational event in the spring of 2009 “Weaving the Chains: Heritage Grains and CSA’s” saw a crowd of interested and passionate people come together to teach, learn, inspire and take action in a variety of ways related to grain activities in SW BC.

Chris Hergesheimer holds a B.A. in cultural anthropology (2006) and an M.A. in sociology (2009) from Simon Fraser University. In addition to a variety of research and writing endeavors about grain chains in South Western BC, Chris is also the owner/operator of a small scale flour milling business known as “The Flour Peddler”  which sources and mills whole grains from South Western BC farmers.  He can be reached at (604) 730-0450 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).