Comparative Study of
Modern and Heritage Wheat Varieties
Sources: [1], [2], [3], [5], [11], [13]
History
Ancient Wheat
Known as the oldest wheat of the world, wild wheat began to be cultivated and further domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 10,000 years ago.
I.E. Einkorn, Emmer, Khorasan, Spelt
Heritage Wheat
Through farmer selection and domestication over centuries, heritage wheat varieties adapted specific traits to the climatic region in which it is grown.
aka: Landrace Wheat
I.E. White Sonora Wheat
Modern Wheat
Modern wheat has been highly selected through scientific and genetic breeding to increase yield for large scale mass production. The 20th century U.S. Green Revolution rapidly increased genetic plant breeding.
I.E. Hard Red Spring, Hard Red Winter,
Soft Red Winter,
Hard White, Soft White
Food is the Foundation of People; Soil is the Foundation for Food
- Yadi Wang - [15]
Environment
Modern Wheat
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Use of small variety of wheat leads to diversity loss
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High input of chemicals - fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides
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Vulnerable to drought, weeds, pests = to more chemical input
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Not as productive with low- input, regenerative farming method
Ancient &
Heritage Wheat
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Diversity of wheat varieties through centuries of farmer selection
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Low- input farming methods - beneficial to biodiversity
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Resistant and resilient in high stress environment with drought, weeds, pests
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Productive in regenerative farming methods
Sources: [2], [3], [5], [11], [12], [13]
Oatman Farms [15]
4th generation ranch land near Gila Bend, Arizona is now the first certified organic and regenerative farm in the southwestern Untied States.
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Oatman farm produces heritage wheat varieties: White Sonora, Red Rife, Blue Beard Durum
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Works towards a wholistic approach with regeneration for sustainable agriculture. This means no till, no chemicals, cover crops = protection against erosion, biodiverse ecosystem, high yield is not bottom line
BKW Farms [14]
4th Generation farm in Marana, Arizona that transitioned to organic farming methods with heritage grains of White Sonora wheat in 2013
BKW farm produces:
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Organic Modern/ Conventional Wheat - Durum, Hard Red
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Organic Heritage Wheat -White Sonora, Red Fife Khorasan/KAMUT
Things need to be addressed before we can talk about sustainability, the agriculture system has been in a degenerative phase for so long, poor practices from the past for short term gains led to degenerate farm land. This system chases the market driven world rather than doing anything beneficial for the people, and there is now the big issue of climate change which will reach a threshold - in order to transition to sustainable methods we need to switch to regenerative methods which is not a option for future generations.
How do we describe sustainability? It is a wholistic approach, we cant look at each individual on its own but, rather together as a whole
Regenerative agriculture is part of the solution. It's not about absolute yield or the most productive field, not about heavy tillage, not about extreme input but it's about the wholistic approach; Rather balancing all the parts together, and this approach spends less on the operation, and builds fertile soil from sterile soil
- Yadi Wang, Oatman Farm - [15]
Health
Modern Wheat
Can contribute to chronic diseases - inflammation, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal or gut health issues
Ancient & Heritage Wheat
Can be more easily digestible for people with wheat sensitivity
Sources: [4], [12]
Since 2013 we have focused on providing to local Arizona customers with a focus on heritage grain varieties and organic, we partnered with Native SEARCH to start growing White Sonora Wheat, which is the main heritage variety grown at BKW.
People do not know how to take this raw wheat berry and use it at home, so the first customers were breweries who utilize the whole wheat berry. In 2015 we started milling and selling flour for more easy use, while keeping the grain supply chain local for local consumers. We also expanded to grow other varieties of wheat, KAMUT, Red Fife, modern organic hard red and durum. We learned that people like a variety of wheats from a one-stop-shop, so to have multiple varieties is advantageous for the farm. However, at BKW farm White Sonora wheat is the most popular product among wheat varieties grown.
- How does growing organic heritage varieties compare to durum in a traditional sense? Modern varieties with synthetic fertilizers and other inputs for conventional harvests produces about 5X higher yields than heritage varieties yield, the main difference is utilizing synthetic fertilizers on the modern wheat to get higher yields -
-Wheat needs a temperature cycle to develop properly and produce good seed... A changing climate and warmer nights is a challenge for early development of wheat as wheat needs freezing nights to produce high enough yields -
- Brian Wong, BKW Farm - [14]
Accessibility, Tucson, AZ
Barrio Bread offers a variety of artisan bread to the Tucson community utilizing heritage and ancient wheats, some of which are grown from BKW farm - Loaves range between $5.50 to $8.50
Differences in Available Flour
Can you tell the difference in types of flour available at different stores?
- Safeway -
Mostly All Purpose flours
5lb Pillsbury Bleached White Flour $3.49
- Natural Grocers -
Mostly alternative flours with one shelf of wheat flour
5lb Bob Red Mill Unbleached All Purpose $5.65
BKW Farms
Sells raw wheat berries and flour, to order, in Tucson and Phoenix:
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Breweries with raw wheat berry
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Bakeries and restaurants
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Home bakers
Price: $1.24- $2.00 /lb
(smallest package size is 20 lbs of flour, customers can also mill raw wheat berry at home)
*Heritage wheat may seem more expensive as it costs more for BKW to be their own supply chain - growing, storage, processing, packaging, and selling - rather than a contract farmer who only fulfills one aspect of supply chain.
Oatman Farm
Sells bread and waffle/pancake mixes on Amazon and around Tucson:
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Tucson CSA
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Mission Garden
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Several local shelves
Price:
$10.99/ mix - $41.49 /4 pack
Sources: [4], [8], [9], [10], [14], [15]
"Guerra didn't plan to start with 100 percent local wheat flours; instead he intended to get there gradually as local partnerships and flour supply grew...
He knew that foraging relationships with Arizona farmers and investing in the state's local grain economy would make for a stronger, greener, regional economy at large. He also knew that he could help contribute to Tucson's biodiversity and seed conservation efforts in conjunction with nonprofit organizations like Native Seed SEARCH. An added bonus? Ancient and heritage grains tend to be more nutritious than modern wheat variants due to their lack of hybridization. Not only could Guerra establish a bakery that was more sustainable than traditional models, but it would also be better for Tucson in practically every sense."
- AFAR interview with Don Guerra - [6]
"The bakery has become a kind of hub for the grain chain... I'm trying to keep all the economics right here in my community. I have a 100-mile radius; I know the farmers, I help select the varieties they grow. I plan two years out and I know what is happening... it's a dream come true for me, not only supporting and nourishing my community with what grows local, but I'm creating jobs, I'm driving this local grain economy... and with covid, across the country people realized how important that food supply chain is..."
- Don Guerra, Barrons interview - [7]
Ancient: Einkorn
Taste: similar to others with slightly deeper, stronger flavor of wheat
Texture: more grainy
Baking
Heritage: White Sonora
Taste: Testers like this one the best, but still similar to others
Texture: chewier
Modern: All Purpose bleached
Taste: brown sugary, very similar to others
Texture: lighter than others
Sources
[1] Applegate, D. (2005). Wku Anth 335 Near East Food Production. Western Kentucky University. Retrieved 2022, from http://people.wku.edu/darlene.applegate/oldworld/webnotes/3neareast/images/map_fertile_crescent.bmp.
[2] Arzani, & Ashraf, M. (2017). Cultivated Ancient Wheats (Triticum spp.): A Potential Source of Health‐Beneficial Food Products. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 16(3), 477–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12262
[3] Barnes, J. (2016). Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: The Social Worlds of Wheat. Environment and Society, 7, 89–106. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26204973
[4] BKW farm. (2020, August 26). Grains. BKW AZ Grown. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.bkwazgrown.com/grains/
[5] Bordoni, A., Danesi, F., Di Nunzio, M., Taccari, A., & Valli, V. (2016). Ancient Wheat and Health: A legend or the reality? A review on Kamut Khorasan Wheat. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 68(3), 278–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637486.2016.1247434
[6] Button, S. (2020, April 23). Grain expectations: How a tiny Tucson Bakery is preserving local heritage. AFAR. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.afar.com/magazine/how-baker-don-guerra-is-preserving-sonoran-heritage-one-bread-loaf-at-a-time
[7] Emen, J. (2021, August 9). 20 minutes with: Acclaimed Baker & Barrio Bread founder Don Guerra. Barron's. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.barrons.com/amp/articles/20-minutes-with-acclaimed-baker-barrio-bread-founder-don-guerra-01628529010
[8] Forrest, N., & Wiek, A. (2021). Growing a sustainable local grain economy in Arizona: A multidimensional analytical case study of an alternative food network. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.031
[9] Guerra, D. (n.d.). Bread. Bread Menu. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.barriobread.com/bread/bread.html
[10] Oatman Farms. (n.d.). Our farm. Oatman Farms LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://oatmanfarms.com/pages/our-farm
[11] Rogosa, E. (2016). Restoring Heritage Grains: The culture, biodiversity, resilience, and cuisine of ancient wheats. Chelsea Green Publishing.
[12] Spisni, Imbesi, V., Giovanardi, E., Petrocelli, G., Alvisi, P., & Valerii, M. C. (2019). Differential physiological responses elicited by ancient and heritage wheat cultivars compared to modern ones. Nutrients, 11(12), 2879. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122879
[13] Sthapit, Marlowe, K., Covarrubias, D. C., Ruff, T. M., Eagle, J. D., McGinty, E. M., Hooker, M. A., Duong, N. B., Skinner, D. Z., & See, D. R. (2020). Genetic diversity in historical and modern wheat varieties of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Crop Science, 60(6), 3175–3190. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20299
[14] B. Wong, personal communication, March 18, 2022
[15] Y. Wang, personal communication, March 7, 2022