Buckwheat processing building markets for Michigan farmers in the United States

A small Michigan food manufacturer expects the state to play a greater role in buckwheat production as consumer demand for the ancient grain increases. Claire Smith is the seventh generation of her family’s farm and founder of Tenera Grains. “It grows really well in Michigan, and in fact, the first time I brought it up to my dad, he called it the poor man’s crop because it can grow and not great soil,” she says. “We can grow it pretty easily and it’s great for northern climates because it’s got a short growing season.” She tells Brownfield the family began growing buckwheat and teff as alternative crops to diversify profit margins about 10 years ago and more recently added a processing facility. “Our farm started dehulling buckwheat, which is challenging to do, and we are only about the third processor to be able to do that where we can actually keep the end product 100 percent gluten free,” she explains. Smith says more state and federal middle of the supply chain investments ...