This workshop explores corn from its earliest origins in Central America to its modern role in sustainable and organic food systems, with a focus on how growing choices connect to end-use and how intentional growing (especially organic & heritage varieties) supports better food, stronger markets, and long-term resilience in regional grain systems.

Dr. Dusty Dowse will begin the session with an overview of corn’s archaeological history and traditional practices like nixtamalization.

Following this, Rafael Mier (Fundación Tortilla) will lead a hands-on masa & tortilla-making demonstration.

About the Presenter:

Originally from Mexico City, Rafael Mier is an activist for agriculture and traditional foodways. Mier is the founder of Tortilla de Maíz Mexicana, a non-profit dedicated to promoting maize as a fundamental element of culture, nutrition, and economic development.

He has participated in the formulation of public policy proposals and regulatory improvements with the goal of contributing to the fulfillment of human rights related to food, health, and consumer information. Through his work, Rafael has developed a training strategy as well as the dissemination of specialized maize-related content, which positively impacts thousands of people each year.

The Summit will bring together grain growers and seed savers for two days of educational workshops, local food, and great conversation. Attendees will explore topics such as upland rice production, innovative cover crop strategies, perennial grains, and more.

Includes:

• Admittance to all workshops
• Mill tour & welcome dinner at Maine Grains
• Miller’s Table with fellow attendees and presenters
• Participation in the Heritage & Landrace Grain Exchange (Seed Swap)
• One pre-packed, locally-made lunch

Join us on Friday and Saturday, or just Saturday if you are unable to make it both days.  Rafael will lead a tortilla workshop on Friday morning and a tour Maine Grains mill and Welcome dinner will be held Friday evening.  A full day of workshops will take place on Saturday at Kennebec Valley Community College.

About the 2026 Organic Grain and Seed Summit Keynote Presenter:

Originally from Mexico City, Rafael Mier is an activist for agriculture and traditional foodways. Mier is the founder of Tortilla de Maíz Mexicana, a non-profit dedicated to promoting maize as a fundamental element of culture, nutrition, and economic development.

He has participated in the formulation of public policy proposals and regulatory improvements with the goal of contributing to the fulfillment of human rights related to food, health, and consumer information. Through his work, Rafael has developed a training strategy as well as the dissemination of specialized maize-related content, which positively impacts thousands of people each year.

Join Heather Kerner on April 29th for a tour of her facility at the The Good Crust, a regionally-recognized dough producer using 100% Maine-grown grains! This event is part of MGA’s ongoing efforts to provide organic farmers & grain growers with firsthand exposure to how their crops are cleaned, processed, marketed, and transformed into finished products.

This event is made possible with support from the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

There is a growing community of home bakers, home millers, and home brewers around the USA looking for grain and not finding you. Partnering with successful ecommerce baking, milling, and brewing brands can be an easy, quick and cheap way to reach new customers.

Join Erik Fabian, CEO & co-founder of Sourhouse, for a discussion on partnering with e-commerce brands to reach new audiences for grain and flour. We will discuss co-marketing and dropshipping strategies and examples for reaching regional and national customers using newsletters, social media and ecommerce tools like Shopify. This session is for anyone selling grain or flour directly to consumers who are looking to reach their first or more customers.

This event is made possible with support from the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

About the Presenter:

Erik Fabian is a homebaker, dad and the CEO/co-founder of Sourhouse. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Sourhouse makes award-winning tools that simplify sourdough baking and inspire people to make more bread. He speaks with authors of sourdough cookbooks on his podcast Bake This Book.

This event is part of MGA’s ongoing efforts to provide organic grain (and soybean) growers with firsthand exposure to how their crops are cleaned, processed, marketed, and transformed into finished products.

This event is made possible with support from the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

Join Seth Kroeck for a hands-on field day at Crystal Spring Farm exploring small-scale grain production on a vegetable farm.

Seth will walk attendees through his organic grain operation, sharing the successes, the lessons learned, and how it all integrates with the rest of the farm. A practical, on-the-ground look for established and aspiring grain growers alike!

This event is made possible with support from the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

Join UMaine researcher Tom Molloy for a tour of UMaine’s Rogers Farm!

In addition to getting a firsthand look at the farm’s small grain variety trials, attendees will learn about best management practices for organic spring cereals and explore new research on living winter rye mulch interseeded with soybeans.

This event is made possible with support from the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

The crop we call corn is the only grain native to North America and cultivated by Native Americans, our original corn farmers. Corn was such an important form of sustenance, the grain was revered and celebrated ceremoniously, ritualistically and agriculturally.

We will use sweet corn and flint corn in bread, flatbread, cookies and other fun ways that highlight the melding of cultures and history that is North America.

Lunch is included!