Working Toward Sustainable Wheat – Mid Atlantic Wheat Malt Is Here

It’s easy to see that sourcing grain locally drives miles out of our supply chain and thereby reduces our GHG emissions and carbon footprint. Proximity is ideally located to grow malting grains. Check out the map below to understand the regionality of our growers in the Mid-Atlantic.

But winter grains – both barley and wheat–are also popular with farmers for their regenerative characteristics. Winter grains are planted in the fall after the corn and soybeans are harvested. Like all plants, these grains absorb CO2 from the air and release oxygen throughout their growing season, from planting in October to harvest in mid-June.

Winter wheat is planted in the fall after the corn and soybeans are harvested. Like all plants, winter wheat absorbs CO2 from the air and releases oxygen throughout its growing season from about October to mid-June. Wheat (and barley) has relatively deep root systems that amplify those benefits. In addition to acting as a carbon sink, wheat as a cover crop (crops that are planted after the harvest of a last crop for the protection and enrichment of the soil) reduces soil erosion, slows the leaching of agrichemicals into the surrounding watersheds and is central to the regenerative agriculture movement.

You can learn more about regenerative agriculture on our website. In addition to the benefits to the environment, our farmers really appreciate growing winter barley and wheat as it allows them to plant a short-cycle soybean after winter crop harvest and reap the financial benefits of two crops in one annual cycle.

Here’s the bottom line – Winter crops and no-till agricultural practices encourage biodiversity, improve farmland ecology and contribute to reversing climate change. Buy Mid-Atlantic wheat and save the world. But what about its malt characteristics?