Jade Koyle: Wheat, Farm Subsidies, and Regenerative Grain Farming #126

I speak with Jade Koyle of Grand Teton Ancient Grains about ancient wheat, regenerative farming, the economics of growing food, and why so many people are trying to understand what has changed about modern bread.Jade is a sixth-generation farmer who runs Grand Teton Ancient Grains in eastern Idaho, where his family grows, mills and sells ancient grains including einkorn, spelt, emmer and khorasan, alongside other grains grown through regenerative organic practices.We get into what makes a grain “ancient,” how the modern seed and commodity system evolved, and why Jade has invested in cleaning, storing and preserving his own seed. We also talk about farm subsidies, insurance, land prices, leasing farmland and why finding a viable business model matters more than simply owning acreage. From there, Jade explains how Grand Teton approaches crop rotations, companion crops, soil fertility and profitability, along with the reality of weather, pests, diesel costs and losing crops.Towards the end, we get into modern bread and wheat more directly: glyphosate, grain storage, milling, the removal of bran and germ, fortification, preservatives and why Jade prefers whole-grain, fresh-milled bread.What we cover:Ancient grains, einkorn, spelt, emmer and khorasanSeed saving, subsidies and how modern grain farming became centralizedLand prices, leasing farmland and the economics of starting a farmRegenerative grain farming, crop rotations, soil health and profitabilityModern bread, milling, additives, glyphosate and whole-grain flourTimestamps:Links:Grand Teton Ancient Grains — WebsiteAbout the farm — About Grand Teton Ancient GrainsShop grains and flour — ShopYouTube — Grand Teton Ancient Grains YouTubeFarm story — How Grand Teton Ancient Grains BeganJade's X - X handle Resources mentioned:Grand Teton Ancient Grains — farm, grains and shop ancientgrains.comGrand Teton Ancient Grains — grain guide — einkorn, emmer, spelt, khorasan and other grains Ancient Grains GuideUSDA FSA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Loans — the type of farm ownership financing Jade mentions for newer farmers Beginning Farmers and Ranchers LoansUSDA FSA Farm Ownership Loans — land purchase, development and down-payment programs Farm Ownership LoansUSDA Whole-Farm Revenue Protection — the farm-wide revenue insurance Jade discusses as an alternative when individual ancient-grain crops are harder to insure Whole-Farm Revenue Protection