Once upon a time Karl Kupers and Fred Fleming began farming. They were both descendants of farming families and both loved working the land and an honest days work. Another thing they had in common was that they both wanted their land to remain productive for decades to come and their wheat to be sold at a fair price. These little ideas soon sprouted into a big concept. The big concept was to change the way they currently farmed in order to give the land longevity and the people a transparent price. Giving the land longevity and creating a transparent pricing model allowed for a new way of farming called sustainable agriculture.
Karl and Fred loved the idea of sustainable agriculture so much that they completely transformed their farms. Karl professes, This [farming] has to be a passion. You have to have the willingness to come to the new land and burn your ship so there’s no way of going back home. That’s really what you have to have to make something like this work.
Karl and Fred did exactly that and the company behind the name Shepherd's Grain was born.
Not only is Shepherd's Grain wheat good for the environment and the economy but it tastes delicious. We decided to grow sustainable wheat and were happy to discover that it tastes good too!
exclaimed Fred. Many artisan bakeries have been very impressed with Shepherd's Grain wheat. A baker tried blending them together and they make a really good, flavorful and functional flour. Recently I was told that our flour has the most integrity that he [the baker] has seen in his 30 years of baking,
says Karl. So on top of being eco-friendly the wheat is excellent to bake with. Karl and Fred’s kernel of an idea has sprouted into an incredible product, yet Karl and Fred continue to be modest. Diversity is the future of agriculture. We believe that the costs of being early innovators are more than offset by all the benefits.
Today there are 33 growers who farm wheat for Shepherd's Grain. They all use sustainable agriculture farming methods and they are all certified by the Food Alliance Association. The Food Alliance inspects all of Shepherd's Grain farms to make sure they are following protocol, which verifies their reliability. At the end of the day,
Fred says, We grow wheat. Wheat that represents locally grown, family farmers. By purchasing Shepherd's Grain Flour products you become a food activist, you also become a disciple to save the family farm.
Fred and Karl are doing exactly that, one farm at a time.