Sustainability

We believe that businesses have a responsibility to the environment. Our operations are fully devoted to minimizing our impact on the ecosystem, and our procedures are constantly being re-evaluated to maximize performance and minimize waste. We believe in supporting local and sustainable businesses. That's why we use Shepherd's Grain flour in all of our breads.

About Shepherd's Grain

Shepherd's Grain flour comes from an alliance of progressive family farms located in the Pacific Northwest, dedicated to practicing sustainable agriculture and direct seeding. Direct seeding allows farmers to yield safe, high-quality crops, preserving the health of the soil so that the land may be passed down for future generations.

The Concept of Direct Seeding

By direct-seeding, the soil no longer has to be inverted with a plow. The plants are seeded directly into the residue of the crop that came before it. Direct seeding is a complete change in the way a farmer grows his crops. The change from conventional seeding to direct-seeding requires a new approach to weed and disease control. Although the direct seed system has many challenges that the farmer must deal with, it also has many advantages.

• Soil erosion is reduced, reducing soil runoff into streams and rivers.
• Less fuel is burned than conventional tillage‚ reducing the amount of exhaust fumes being released into the air.
• The amount of carbon in our soils is increasing. Conventional tillage releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere where direct seeding traps the carbon in the soil, increasing organic matter and building a healthier soil structure for creatures that live in the soil such as earthworms.
• A more holistic approach to crop disease and pest management by using different crops in a rotation so that pests and diseases don't build up in the soil and have to be treated by using chemicals.