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 — Website

About the farm — About Grand Teton Ancient Grains

Shop grains and flour — Shop

YouTube — Grand Teton Ancient Grains YouTube

Farm story — How Grand Teton Ancient Grains Began