PROJECTS

2022 Northeast SARE Research and Education Grant

Rye Revival is a collaborator on a three-year grant secured by University of Vermont Extension called Capturing Value with Cereal Rye: Growing High Quality Rye in the Northeast for Value-Added Markets. As part of this project to increase education and outreach to support value-added rye production Rye Revival is developing the Rye Resource Room, a hub of research and information about rye in the context of human health, climate change, food & beverage production and more.

2021 USDA Value-Added Producer’s Grant

Rye Revival developed a marketing plan and collaborated on the associated business plan and feasibility study for White Oak Farm’s 2021 USDA Value-Added Producer’s Grant (VAPG). As part of this work, Rye Revival conducted market research on the value-add of local, organic, cleaned, and farm-identified rye for bakeries, millers, distillers, brewers, seed companies, feed companies, and other potential rye consumers.

Works in Progress

New York Rye Week

Explore the diversity of rye with New York distilleries, bars, bakeries, and restaurants. Learn about New York’s grainshed and how rye strengthens local economies, ecosystems, and human health. NY Rye Week is the 3rd week of October.

Rye Trail

Explore rye distilleries, breweries, bakeries, maltster, mills, and farmers. We are piloting this project in New York as part of NY Rye Week in collaboration with Empire Rye.

Rye Technical Assistance

Our distinguished and experienced farmer educators will help you develop a plan for integrating rye into your farming system as a cover or cereal crop. We teach farmers and extension agents via virtual consultations, field days, and farm-visits. We have experience growing successful rye crops contrary to current extension guidelines, particularly around planting date. Reach out to us for more information!

  • On Dec. 1, 2021 the Rye Revival team met in Avoca, WI to see a rye processing facility under construction and look at the soil in Gary Zimmer’s fields. This field was planted in rye in Nov. 2020 and interseeded with a nitrigenous mix, which flourished after the rye was harvested in July 2021. In this image, Gary is demonstrating how rye has helped strengthen the soil fertility in this field.

  • Rye is the most cold hardy grain. This rye seed was planted on this field 5 days prior (on November 26, 2021) and has not only survived the frosty nights, but is flourishing. There is no other grain that can be planted this late (or as late as January 28 in 2023!) and survive a Wisconsin winter.

Wish List

  • Lifecycle Analysis

    We want to support a team of researchers working on a full lifecycle analysis of rye, understanding its potential to build soil, prevent erosion, sequester carbon, and generally support farmers’ triple-bottom line.

  • Level the Playing Field

    We want to see more crop insurance made available to farmers planting rye (and other overwinter cereal crops and cover crops) and also to more equitably distribute crop subsidies to farmers who are increasing soil fertility, resilience, and mitigating hunger by growing food crops.

  • Distilling the Differences

    Collaborate with university researchers to produce a study on the influence of different rye varieties (e.g., AC Hazelet, Danko, Horton, Rosen, Spooner, etc.) and how they influence the taste of whiskey. What flavors (i.e., terpenes) are more pronounced? How do barrels and different aging environments affect these flavors, if at all? And separate to flavors, is there a better way to distil rye than what is currently being used (i.e., treating it like bourbon mash or vodka)?

  • Rye for Human Health

    Expand on the many studies, mostly out of Northern Europe, indicating that a diet including rye reduces obesity and weight, promotes a healthy GI system,. and may reduce the risk of certain cancers. We would love to increase collaborations between American and Nordic researchers so as to increase the sample size studied, understand the impact of rye outside of traditional Nordic diet and lifestyle, and better understand what components of rye (or perhaps the whole rye berry) are responsible for these health benefits.

  • Rye for Animal Health

    Rye is an inexpensive, protein-rich grain that can be a great addition to dairy cattle forage as well as a supplemental grain fed to poultry, pigs, and ruminants. It can also be a great way for farmers to be less-dependent upon expensive soy protein feed. We would like to facilitate studies on the impact of rye in animal feed on animal health, especially for reducing antibiotic dependency, as well as rye’s influence on the quality of animal products (dairy, eggs, and meat).