Grain by grain A quest to revive ancient wheat, rural jobs, and healthy food

The US food system needs a shift in values. Rather than placing a priority on cheap food, societies and policy makers need to focus on human health, the environment, and revitalizing rural communities. While sharing his life story, Quinn--an organic farmer, entrepreneur, and researcher from Montana--deftly presents this argument. Quinn's coauthor Carlisle (Stanford) brings an academic perspective to the narrative, "draw[ing] out the larger context and significance of the events in the book." Quinn embodies this shift in values through his various initiatives, including reviving cultivation of an ancient wheat, establishing wind farms, developing a biodiesel operation, investigating the connections between food and chronic diseases, and revitalizing his local economy. He does not sugarcoat the challenges with this work but also shows that one can find success in organic agriculture while also transforming the food system and creating a green economy. Many authors have trod the same ground, but few have the same firsthand experience and knowledge. This is an engaging and important read for a variety of audiences, including those interested in agriculture, food systems, nutrition, and sustainable businesses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Eileen G. Harrington, Universities at Shady Grove

An organic farmer and entrepreneur in Montana shares his experiences and ideas for changing the way America produces its food.The organic spokesman's story is co-authored by Carlisle (Lecturer/School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences/Stanford Univ.), whose previous book, Lentil Underground (2015), also focused on an entrepreneurial Montana-based organic farmer. After her explanatory prologue, Carlisle remains hidden so that the experiences and the opinions represent Quinn's voice. The book is partly memoir: Readers learn about Quinn's upbringing on a Montana farm, his various ventures into organic farming, his work to improve soil quality, and his launching of a wind farm and biofuel project. However, the text serves mainly as an argument about the necessity of valuing quality in food and how it can help heal people instead of making them sick, alleviate poverty by rebuilding rural communities, and reduce damage to the environment. Central to the story is an ancient grain from Mesopotamia that Quinn experimented with and the building of Kamut International, a large wheat corporation operating internationally. The picture that emerges is that of an experienced farmer and a resourceful, community-minded businessman. Quinn's tale is also a diatribe against America's widespread agricultural-industrial complex. He rails against "Americans' fiercely held attachment to cheap consumer goods, particularly cheap food. Transformed from producers into consumers at the same time as their economic status diminished, the American middle class insisted on lower and lower prices, spurred on by corporations like Walmart and McDonald's." That's the bad news. Quinn does provide evidence of progress, as more and more people, especially millennials, are becoming informed consumers, interested in where their food comes from and how it is produced, and an increasing number are becoming farmers, producing organically and selling locally. The few black-and-white photographs scattered throughout add little to the text, which stands alone quite well.A compelling agricultural story skillfully told; environmentalists will eat it up. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.