Six years in

Farmer Kent Kimball (left), of Kimball’s Farm in Belvidere, with Mike Hozer and Leonard Bussanich. Photo by Thomas Robert Clarke.

Exactly six years ago, the first meeting of River Valley Community Grains convened in a little old church in Middle Valley, across the street from the South Branch of the Raritan River. We weren’t exactly sure where we were headed, but we knew we had a winning formula—encourage New Jersey farmers to devote small amounts of their land to growing heritage grains, guarantee them a fair price for their crops, and then mill those grains for sale.

In 2018, River Valley Community Grains was beginning to build momentum, and Fran McManus wrote a great article about us in Edible Jersey:

“On January 21, 2017, as millions of women marched in Washington DC and cities around the world, a small group of farmers, bakers and local food advocates gathered at Long Valley’s Middle Valley Community Center to plot their own disruption of the status quo. Billed as a gathering to explore “re-establishing our agricultural heritage by creating a local, organic grain hub,” the meeting highlighted the challenges and successes of River Valley Community Grains, a fledgling company working to re-localize the growing and processing of wheat and other grains. Eighteen months later, despite the enthusiastic reception their flour has received from artisanal bakers, River Valley Community Grains remains more a dream than a reality—a testament to the significant challenges of rebuilding the infrastructure and market for local grains.

(Click here to read the entire article.)

It’s gratifying to see how far we’ve come, the community we’ve built, and how much growing we have yet to do. There are some very exciting developments in the works this year, so keep an eye on our website and social media!