Different buckwheat flour formulations are being tested by evaluating different milling techniques. This photo shows light (left) vs. dark (right) buckwheat flours, which have different flavor and texture properties.
By Dr. Nicole Tautges with support from Vinnie Trometter, OFRF Policy Manager
As the Research Director of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in Wisconsin, I recently had the opportunity to meet with Congressman Scott Fitzgerald’s (R-WI-05) staff to discuss how the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) program supports our research developing markets and supply chains for Midwestern organic oat and buckwheat producers.
Growing Small Grains for Big Impact
Carbohydrates make up about 75% of the calories in a typical diet, with most of those carbohydrate calories coming from grains. However, grains have received very little attention in terms of origins/sourcing, health benefits, quality factors, and organic share of consumption. Even for basic grain items like wheat flour, few consumers know where their flour comes from, or the differences among grains other than wheat.
This is where organic oat and buckwheat come in. Not only can these grains replace wheat for many uses but they are also more nutritious and excel in organic crop rotations. Our research focuses on how the Midwest can become a center of oat and buckwheat production in the United States. There is much work to do considering most of the oat and buckwheat consumed in the country is imported. However, there is no reason why these grains cannot be grown right here in the Midwest if the right markets and supply chains are in place.
Our research seeks to accomplish this by highlighting the nutritional and crop rotation benefits while building the knowledge and supply chains needed to make these grains more widely available. We do this by organizing focus groups with farmers and other grain supply chain actors to understand what the problems are, and design research trials to address management knowledge constraints.
Oat variety trial—different oat varieties that are currently available are being tested in organic production environments (oats are typically not bred under organic conditions, and can perform differently in organic production systems).
Our trials cover all segments of the oat and buckwheat supply chain. On the grower side, we intend to perform organic fertility trials to improve nutrient recommendations for growers. For example, we are testing no-till establishment of spring oats, which helps ensure earlier planting and higher-quality food-grade oats. We have also completed a trial that demonstrates buckwheat can be planted after small grain harvest in the same season, with enough time to produce a harvestable crop. On the processing side, we are performing milling and processing trials with oats and buckwheat. Lastly, we are performing product testing with consumers, to better understand consumer preferences and to provide guidance to organic grain millers.
Collaboration and Networking are Key to Success
We are collaborating on this project with partners such as Dr. Jacob Jungers at the University of Minnesota, the Artisan Grain Collaborative, Rooster Milling in East Troy, WI, and several dedicated organic farmers across the Upper Midwest.
To share our results, we host field days, present at grower conferences, give webinars, and post videos on YouTube and Facebook. These efforts ensure that both farmers and consumers can see what’s happening and why it matters.
Support from the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) has been fundamental for us. OREI is one of the few USDA programs that consistently supports organic research, which has often been neglected compared to conventional agriculture, despite rising consumer demand for agrochemical-free food.
Sharing Organic Research with Midwest Policymakers
It is important now more than ever to communicate to our legislators how organic agriculture research plays out on the ground. Agricultural science can feel abstract and difficult to understand for those outside the field. And let’s be honest—scientists aren’t always the best communicators! By sharing names, faces, and stories from real farms, we help policymakers connect research to human impact in their districts.
Buckwheat is a pseudocereal and a staple grain of northeastern Europe. It is actually in the rhubarb family! It has a pyramidal shaped grain (the dark brown part of the flower as seen above) that can be milled into flour, or dehulled and the “groat” eaten in porridge or granola.
I feel confident that I connected human impact with our research when I spoke with Congressman Fitzgerald’s staff. I deeply appreciated how receptive his office was to learning about innovative farming practices happening right here in the 1st Wisconsin Congressional District and across the Midwest. With so many demands on their time, it meant a lot to see agriculture innovation recognized as important.
I’m incredibly grateful to the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) for facilitating this meeting. Without their support, I wouldn’t have had the chance to share our stories directly with lawmakers.
Looking ahead, whether it be research trials or policymaker conversations, our work is about building bridges—between farms and markets, between science and consumers, and between research and policy. Oats and buckwheat may be small grains, but they represent a big opportunity for healthier diets, more resilient farming systems, and stronger local food economies in the Midwest.
Use Your Voice
Interested in sharing your research with legislators and the importance of continued public investment in organic research? Enroll in OFRF’s self-paced email course, Communicating with Legislators. This free, educational workshop is designed to equip researchers within the organic farming community with the tools and resources they need to effectively engage with and educate policymakers about the impact of their work.
Dr. Nicole Tautges
