A Message from CGA Executive Director Madelyn Smith

Dear Common Grain Alliance community,

As we close out 2024, I am filled with gratitude and pride for our grain community and  our progress in advancing the Mid-Atlantic regional grains movement. We hosted a record 16 events in 2024, engaging over 450 people in field days, baker meetups, networking events, and hands-on workshops. We had 57 new members join our network, growing and deepening our community. We also secured six new grants and raised $200,000 to continue our work in 2025. This year has been a testament to the passion, collaboration, and resilience of everyone in our grain value chain. For a full recap of our 2024 activities and impact, check out our 2024 Annual Report.

As we look ahead to 2025, I am excited to build on this momentum with the return of the Mid-Atlantic Grain Conference, expanding networking opportunities and technical support for our members, and developing a strategy for increasing investment in regional grain infrastructure. Please consider becoming a member or donating to help us make the year ahead one of connection, growth, and innovation for regional grains.

It’s been a year like no other for the Mid-Atlantic local grains movement and we’re reflecting on all of the incredible work, activism, and community build that’s happened in 2024. Check out our full 2024 Annual Report here and highlights from the year below.

January: We attended the Virginia Association of Biological Farming Conference and the Eastern Food Hub Collaborative Annual Retreat to elevate grains as part of the local food movement.

February: We hosted a baker meet up at the University of District Columbia, as well as a Grain Cleaning Workshop and Grain to Glass networking event at Greater Richmond Grains and Reservoir Distillery in Richmond, Virginia.

March: We hosted a “Love Your Local Grains” event in collaboration with Washington D.C. Chapter of Les Dames D’Escoffier, plus a webinar for members of the Agricultural Leadership Development Initiative (ALDI) to provide training on grassroots policy action.

April: We launched the “Why Buy Local Grains” zine and hosted a webinar for ALDI members to provide guidance and support for grant writing.

May: We hosted a regenerative agriculture field day at Next Step Produce, attended the Southeastern Grain Gathering hosted by the Ohio Valley Grain Exchange, and also attended the System Based Investing Field Lab hosted by the Meridian Institute and Duke Farms.

June: We hosted a “Baking with Rye” meet up at the University of District of Columbia. We also hosted a field day at Virginia Free Farm for ALDI members.

July: We attended the Maine Grain Alliance Kneading Conference and launched the Maryland Local Grain Trail to highlight CGA member businesses around the state.

August: We hosted a “Profitable Soil Health” field day at Green Sprig Ag in Rock, Mount, VA in partnership with American Farmland Trust, Future Harvest, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

September: In this packed month, we published our first-ever Annual Membership Survey Results, hosted a quarterly member meeting in Philadelphia featuring tours of Castle Valley Mill and a networking event at Forest and Main Brewing, and a baker meet-up at Hex Superette in Baltimore. We also launched a three-part webinar series Unlocking Local Grain Potential: A Three Part Webinar Series for Small Businesses, which we co-hosted with the Craft Miller’s Guild in partnership with regional grain initiatives around the country.

October: Throughout this equally busy month, we hosted the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Grain Fair in partnership with Friends of Pierce Mill in Washington, D.C., which was a highlight of the year. We also hosted the event From Grain to Loaf: Exploring Local Grains And Stone Milled Flour at Colvin Run Mill in partnership with Fairfax County Farmers Markets and a baker meet-up at Reservoir Distillery in Richmond, Virginia.

November: We hosted a quarterly member meeting in Pittsburgh, PA, which included a Rye Workshop at Third Space Bakery, a Grain Value Chain Panel Discussion at CRAFT Chatham, and concluded with a pizza bake and networking session. We also popped up the Mid-Atlantic Grain Stand at the Good Food Fest in Pennsylvania.

December: This month’s highlight was our baker meet-up at CGA member business SEYLOU Bakery & Mill. (Pictured below!)

We’re proud to share that CGA membership has grown by 57 new members, bringing CGA’s total membership to 152 bakers, farmers, millers, grains enthusiasts and more!

New Members in Our Network:

Everyone knows the holiday season is the best time of year to make a big batch of delicious cookies, which is why we’re featuring this recipe from CGA member Deep Roots Milling for Golden Citrus Sugar Cookies. If you can, make sure to bake these with Deep Roots Millng’s stone ground silver pastry flour (or any pastry flour made with local grains) to add a rustic, nutty depth of flavor.

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour or silver pastry flour (preferably stoneground)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, room temperature)

1 egg

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

the zest of 1/2 an orange

For the cinnamon sugar:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. In a large mixing bowl, use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream the butter, sugar, and orange zest on medium speed. Next add the eggs, vanilla, and honey until fully incorporated.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, slowly, while mixing. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and drop into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Once completely covered, place the dough balls onto the cookie sheet, and press down gently with the back of a measuring cup to flatten.

5. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges and bottoms start to turn golden. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. The cookies will be very soft when they come out of the oven but will set up as they cool.