Kate Stevens, a beloved member of Colorado's grain community (Garden of Oz, Brew Bites, and Nomad Mill), was recently diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (PMBCL), a rare and aggressive form of cancer, after an emergency room visit revealed a large tumor near her heart and lung.

She is now undergoing intensive chemotherapy that will require repeated hospital stays over the coming months. During treatment, Kate and her partner, Sam, will face significant medical expenses and a substantial loss of income as they step away from work and their Colorado grain business.

If you're able, please consider supporting Kate and Sam during this difficult time. Your generosity will help cover medical costs, travel to treatment, essential living expenses, and allow Sam to serve as Kate's full-time caregiver. Every contribution helps lighten the burden as they navigate the months ahead. [Link to Go Fund Me]

From SNAP cuts to USDA grant cancellations, rapid changes to federal policy have had a deep impact on food and farming. Here’s Civil Eats' key coverage to date.

Colorado’s San Luis Valley is undergoing one of the largest agricultural transitions in the West as groundwater conservation efforts retire irrigated farmland. Colorado Open Lands (COL) is partnering with landowners, agricultural producers, and conservation organizations to restore these landscapes through collaborative revegetation, habitat restoration, and adaptive management. This position offers an opportunity to help shape a growing restoration program that supports wildlife, groundwater conservation, resilient working lands, and thriving rural communities.

Learn more about the position here.

We use the phrase “breaking bread” all the time, but how often do we stop and ask what it really means now when most bread is made from anonymous flour, grown in fields we’ll never see?

Read the full article by Daniel Spencer here.

Read about local grain systems in the Eastern U.S. Full article by Amy Loeffler here.

Restaurant Olivia and Dear Emilia chef Ty Leon showcased Dry Storage Flour in an Axios magazine favorite. Check it out.

When Roaring Fork Mill sprouted in 2022, it was a small passion project. Founder Jacob Trumbull comes from a background in conservation and sustainable agriculture. He and his wife, Nicole, started stone-milling grains a few years after they settled into the Roaring Fork Valley. The business started as mill-to-order batches, but has since taken off.

Read the full article by Annalise Grueter.

Colorado Grain Chain member Moon Raccon named in this The Gazette article. Read the highlight.

Up to 40% of eastern Colorado’s wheat acres may be abandoned after late-season freezes destroyed grain in drought-stressed crops, leaving fields with no harvestable wheat. Read the full article by Raney Rapp.