Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food

"A compelling agricultural story skillfully told; environmentalists will eat it up." - Kirkus Reviews

When Bob Quinn was a kid, a stranger at a county fair gave him a few kernels of an unusual grain. Little did he know, that grain would change his life. Years later, after finishing a PhD in plant biochemistry and returning to his family’s farm in Montana, Bob started experimenting with organic wheat. In the beginning, his concern wasn’t health or the environment; he just wanted to make a decent living and some chance encounters led him to organics.

But as demand for organics grew, so too did Bob’s experiments. He discovered that through time-tested practices like cover cropping and crop rotation, he could produce successful yields—without pesticides. Regenerative organic farming allowed him to grow fruits and vegetables in cold, dry Montana, providing a source of local produce to families in his hometown. He even started producing his own renewable energy. And he learned that the grain he first tasted at the fair was actually a type of ancient wheat, one that was proven to lower inflammation rather than worsening it, as modern wheat does.

Ultimately, Bob’s forays with organics turned into a multimillion dollar heirloom grain company, Kamut International. In Grain by Grain, Quinn and cowriter Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground, show how his story can become the story of American agriculture. We don’t have to accept stagnating rural communities, degraded soil, or poor health. By following Bob’s example, we can grow a healthy future, grain by grain.

• Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America
• Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture
• Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life
• Kracklin' Kamut Organic Ancient Grains| Hand Roasted All Natural Healthy Snacks | Resealable Pouches (8oz)- Sea Salt
• The Fate of Food: What We'll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World
• The Way We Eat Now: How the Food Revolution Has Transformed Our Lives, Our Bodies, and Our World
• Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food
• Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
• The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution: High-Production Methods for Small-Scale Farmers
• The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet