Section 1: Overview of the Regional Grain Economy
Section 1: The Regional Grain Economy in the Mid-Atlantic
By Heather Coiner
September 26, 2023
The purpose of this section is to show small- and midsize growers in the Mid-Atlantic that grain can enhance their existing operation, and that there are several pathways one can take to that end that don’t involve thousands of acres and large capital investments. First, we show how the economics of small grain operations can work (Chapter 1.1), followed by an overview of the direct market (Chapter 1.2), and the range of possible end-uses (Chapter 1.3). By the end of this section, growers should have a sense of whether grain might add value to their operation, what products they might want to sell, and who they might sell them to.
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Ben Stowe, for copy editing. Any errors are my own.
The material presented here is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2019-38640-29878 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LS20-327. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
