Inspiring & Empowering Grain Community
Our Vision
We envision a world where local grain economies that are
good for people and good for the planet can thrive.
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Our mission is to inspire and empower people who are building local grain economies. We create connections and share grain traditions and innovations from earth to table.
Our Current Programs
RARE & HERITAGE SEED RESTORATION
Our seed restoration project aims to restore rare and heritage variety grains by turning handfuls of carefully kept seed into commercially viable quantities for farms.
Grain & Baking Education
Our grain and baking education program provides live and online workshops, baking tips, free learning resources, videos, handbooks and more provided by experts in the field.
Supporting Grain Farms
The ability to handle and finish grain to meet top quality standards is critical on farms. This project will purchase equipment and demonstrate its best uses on seven farms throughout Maine.
Kneading Conference & Maine Artisan Bread Fair
The annual conference and fair held in Skowhegan, ME features two full days of intensive workshops on grain topics and hands-on baking experiences where participants rub elbows with the some of the world’s most acclaimed bakers & chefs.
Grants
The MGA provides funds need-based technical assistance and equipment helping grain-based business owners secure economic opportunities. Most revently, the MGA has offered two rounds of Emergency Relief Funding in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Celebrate Our Incredible Grain Community and Remember All the Fun from Kneading Conferences of the Past
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to cancel the 2020 Kneading Conference, we are excited to connect with our grain community on July 23-25, the dates that the Kneading Conference and Maine Artisan Bread Fair would have been held. Here you will find photo galleries of Kneading Conferences past, videos, baking tips and recipes from our expert bakers, and rememberances of all the memories we’ve made together over the years. Check back soon for more details!
Kneading Conference in the News
Women in Food: Kristen Richards shares passion for whole-grain baking, plus a granola recipe
Last July, Richards attended the Kneading Conference, a well-known gathering of artisan bakers in Skowhegan, Maine. There, she met other female bakers, who inspired the next chapter of her career. “I knew I wanted to do what they did, and in my community, and...
Explore Dozens of Educational & Instructional Videos from MGA
Baking Tips and Recipes from Kneading Conference Presenters
Kneading Conference Photo Galleries by Year
Explore the 2019 Kneading Conference via #KneadingConference2019
Featured Grain Articles
Maine Grains Rise to the Occasion
Sirvinta. Einkorn. Black emmer. Red fife. They have been in Maine far longer than you have. These are just a few varieties of wheat that were a staple of the Maine diet for hundreds of years. Harvested by scythe, they were transported in horse-drawn wagon to the...
What 3,000-year-old Egyptian wheat tells us about the genetics of our daily bread
Human societies need food – and that often means wheat, which was first cultivated more t han 12,000 years ago. Today, around one in five calories consumed by humans is from wheat. Over this time, humans have moved wheat species around the globe and transformed them...
How to build a regional grain economy from scratch
Start by renovating the town jail. Then add flour December 22nd , 2016 by Amy Halloran , New Food Economy Six years ago, Erik LeVine and his partner Rod Lane lost their cable service. They were drug addicts and the bill just didn’t get paid. Tapping in to their...
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Upcoming Events
Celebrating Our Grain Community
Online workshops, videos, photo galleries, rememberances, baking tips and more will be available highlighted on the Maine Grain Alliance webpage and social media channels. Join us! More Details
Multipurpose Sourdough Virtual Workshop
We invite you to welcome sourdough into your daily routine, and rethink perfect. This class will help you have fun exploring your creativity in the kitchen.
Ellie Markovitch founder of #storycooking and Amy Halloran of @flourambassador will guide you through everyday cooking , that for Ellie, is mostly improvisation. To facilitate this, she keeps a stocked pantry, full of ingredients for “the base” and the “toppings.” Bases are grains and dough. For toppings, Ellie makes use of vegetables, fruits, protein, spices, herbs, etc. A dough is like a canvas, and through years of trial and error, Ellie embraces this approach to baking.
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