Forefront: Ideas in Food and Farming

Whole Grain Supply Chain

Erin Meyer, Rachel Bernier-Green, Andy Hazzard

Sunday, November 15 at 1 p.m. via Zoom | Free but registration required

The local supply chain, that is. You may have noticed that flour was in short supply at the beginning of the pandemic. This, along with increased interest in personal health and the local economy, meant many who were baking at home turned to local, small scale producers to fill the gap.

Join moderator Erin Meyer of Basil's Harvest as she sets the stage for a baker, farmer, and food-system dietitian to discuss their personal experiences working with and growing specific grains, and explore the challenges they face doing so. Plus, you’ll hear details of how each business needed to shift, due to the pandemic.

Learn details about each business—Rachel Bernier-Green's innovative and socially-minded bakery 'Laine's Bake Shop in Chicago; Andy Hazzard's sixth-generation Hazzard Free Farm (and mill!) in Pecatonica; Erin Meyer's diet-conscious Basil's Harvest; and their combined work with the Artisan Grain Collaborative. You'll come away with a better understanding of the important relationship between farmer and baker, and about how the practices around regenerative agriculture and whole grains can improve soil health, human health, and impact local economies.

Register for Whole Grain Supply

Meet the Speakers

• Erin Meyer
  

  The mission of Basil's Harvest is to support a sustainable and innovative community of regenerative farmers by helping to build soil health and aiding these farmers in accessing markets in which to sell their products. As a dietitian and chef with a master's degree in sustainable food systems, Erin uses her previous experience as an executive, a diabetes educator, food service entrepreneur, and educator to emphasize equitable access to regional foods into institutions, dietary shifts for community health, and environmental protection through experiential education.
• Rachel Bernier-Green
  

  Rachel is the owner and head baker at ‘Laine's Bake Shop, LLC, and holds bachelor's degrees in finance and accounting and a master's degree in taxation. In 2013, Rachel created ‘Laine's Bake Shop, an online bakery catering company with a social mission. ‘Laine's Bake Shop was founded to create delicious, scratch-made treats with a focus on creativity, honest ingredients, and unparalleled customer service—and to revitalize urban communities, starting with the south side of Chicago.

  ‘Laine's has supplied corporate clients including the Obama Foundation, Google, and McDonald's, and now supplies products to Whole Food Market stores as well as several local restaurants and cafes. ‘Laine's opened a retail location in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago in the spring of 2019 and is currently building out a production facility in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Rachel is an alumni of the prestigious Good Food Business Accelerator at 1871 and previously served as Director of Resource Development for the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants.

• Andy Hazzard
  

  Andy is a sixth-generation farmer that grew up on a large conventional farm. In 2007, she began vegetable farming focusing on community supported agriculture (CSA), farmer's markets, and wholesale to the restaurant industry. In 2012, she started experimenting with smalls grains, and by 2013 she opened a small milling operation. After several years of running two operations at two locations, she now is focused completely on small grains and direct-to-consumer and wholesale markets. >Her farm's niche is focused on heirloom varieties of corn, wheat, and barley. She also grows oats and hulled grains. She is particularly interested in seed saving, improving open-pollinated varieties, and developing new varieties.