Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

How did you guys find your supplier for wheat? After moving I'm have a very hard time finding a local supply of wheat (and buying online KILLS you with the shipping...).

Where I used to live I had a local Honeyville Grains store (that spoiled me for sure!). but now I can't find ANYTHING like that.

I found bulk rice at sams, but no wheat, only flour (no good for me...)

I'm driving out to a local farm supply and feed store tonight to see what they might have, or if they have any ideas?

Do you guys have any suggestions?

Oh, and there are no LDS canneries in my state either...

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/wholegrains.aspx ships for $4.95 no matter what.

Check your yellow pages for animal feed stores. But you'll have to sort the grain to remove the stems. Feed stores often sell oatmeal, popcorn, and even medicines that would otherwise require prescriptions.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

Thanks, but honeyville builds their shipping into the price...

I had a LOCAL honeyville store before I moved that had 50# bags of wheat for $12...online they charge $40 for the same bag but ONLY $5 shipping...

I'm checking out a feed store tonight to see what they have :)

Thanks for the reply!

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

I used to get mine from feed and seed lots. The grades vary, but seemed of little concern to me. Mine was for planting.

That brings me to an important point... KILLING you with the shipping may not be your greatest concern. Test your grain to ensure it will even grow. Much of the supply is actually dead upon distribution, having been treated or grown from GM seed stock. Grain to eat is important, but if you can't make more, you're not ensuring sustainability. The sources I found could supply product, but a lot of it was either dead or unable to reseed.

The best grain I've gotten comes from a Hutterite colony. I pay them more than others, as the quality is far better and they work much harder to make it. Their seeds are natural, grown as God intended. What's most cool about the seeds though, is that they grow. Reliably.

If you too are 'not looking for flour' because you want something better, start looking at traditional sources instead of resellers. You'll get better product, while supporting some of the most established preppers to date. And something you will build which can't be replaced is a trust with these people. If SHTF, they will make VERY good trading partners and they'll be well established in skills you didn't realize you needed, or that take a lifetime to perfect... such as herbology.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

I have sprouted the wheat I got from honeyville, used to eat it like an "oatmeal" type breakfast. It definitely sprouted, I could see little white (and some green) sprouts coming out of the seed. I would assume that would grow if I tried to plant it since it sprouted alright?

good point though, I didn't even think that some sources might be "dead" wheat...

I'm "not looking for flour" because I can't store it for 30 years like I can the wheat berries. We use wheat berries weekly in our house so I doubt my stock will sit for 30 years, but I want to have that option...

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

we have a health food store in town that sells some kind of wheat berry/grain that is sproutable for $1.09 a pound.

i just loaded up with all of 15 pounds and i'm going back for more :shine:

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

Shipping from Walton Feeds in Idaho to NW Indiana doesn't "kill" me if I get my order up to 200 pounds.

If you don't want to do that, negotiate with your health food store and order in bulk (say 25 pounds at a time) and let your order piggy-back on his shipping. He'll give you a lower price per pound than if you were purchasing just a small retail order from his store.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

If you have a Costco around, they sell 5 gallon buckets of wheat.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

I guess I just got spoiled by getting it for $12/50# and now I cringe at the $1/1# pricing I'm seeing everywhere online :(

There were a couple of stores I need to check still, just thought I would try and get ideas...

Also I don't think making a relationship with a local farmer will work too well where I am...not too many crop farmers around here. EVERYTHING here is on a mountain, and if the ground is flat and there is no building on it there are cows/sheep/or horses in it! Not too much wheat grown around here (or crops for that matter) that I have seen! Maybe if I go out west a little more I could find some. Anyone ever see wheat berries at a farmers market? or just fruits/veggies?

No costco around :( and I haven't seen it at Sam's...anyone ever tried to have them order it? can they do that?

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

if you take good care of your seedlings, and no one steals your crop, you'll have a bountiful harvest and learn survival stuff that's good to know.

i mention that about stealing the crop because someone stole my wheat crop last year.

so this year, my wheat is growing on a second floor balcony. hope it gets enough sun to make another batch of seeds.

i had my first sprouted wheat for lunch today. fried with Gouda cheese & a little tarragon. it was good, you'd never know it's part of a survival prep.

i was pleasantly surprised how far just a handful of wheat goes. when you add water it plumps up and sprouts, so a handful of dry wheat becomes 2+ handfuls cooked, one serving for a man, maybe 2 servings for someone who eats less.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

Step 1 -drive out into the country side,i know this can be scary to most.

Step 2-make sure your in farming country,stuff will be growing in rows in the field.

Step 3-find a farm with lots of large cylinderacle objects you might call silos(which they are not they are called bins)

Step 4-make sure it is well kept with bright shiny things and single pieces of equipment that are worth more than you are.(this is important,extremely poor farmers are wierd and dangerous)

Step 5-drive into yard mid morning with a bright smile and handshake,dont worry farmers are continually hurassed by salesmen and strangers.

Step 6-state clearly what it is that your after!!!explain you want a few bushels of such and such for what ever it is your doing.Say you can pay cash or trade some of the finished product.------Trust me,you will be asking for an invatisamable amount of product,which MOST farmers will gladly hand over for next to NOTHING!read that again.Farmers sit on vast quantities of product and are paid minute sums,trust me,they get a kick out of someone taking said product and producing an end product.

-do not say i need some wheat-say i need a few five gallon pails of wheat because i love making bread

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

Haha Thanks! That is actually a good idea, I'll see if I can find a farmer that does that. I'm going to have quite a drive though because I'm in mountain/coal/rock country, not farming country!!

I'll have to try that in the spring, having grown up where all they raise is beef and corn, I agree with you that the poor farmers ARE weird and dangerous, and usually not too smart!

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

That's what we did. Unfortunately, it is still a 90 mile drive and the coop only places an order when they meet the minimum #lbs required for the truck to make the delivery. The time it takes to make the minimum #lbs is on a 3-4 months basis, by the time people get their next orders in and the minimum # weight is met.

So all said, we're probably purchasing 50# bags at about what you are used to, and the shipping cost per bag is around $9/bag. SUBSTANTIALLY, imho, less than what honeyville is charging. (Agreed their shipping is added to the base price.)

Best regards and good luck,
-ed

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

Best deal I have found online on hard red winter wheat was at the LDS catalog:

https://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wc...http:ClickInfo


currently 26.25, shipping included,for thirty three pounds packed for long term storage

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

What part of WV are you in? There's a farm about 40 miles outside of Huntington (in Ohio) that sells wheat at harvest time... Untreated, feed grade.
Roughly ~$15/100 lbs last time I bought any. They also sell corn. Not sure what else. Nice people to deal with.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

interesting. Kind of far for me, I'm in North/Central WV, Clarksburg Area. But it might be worth the drive!

When you say feed grade that means it comes with the chaff still with it? I'd need to seperate the berries from the chaff still? or is it of lesser quality somehow?

Thanks for the info! Can you PM any more details on that farm? name/location/etc?

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

Very little chaff... it's sifted a couple times before bagging. Takes a few minutes per loaf of bread, to get ultra clean berries.

"Feed grade" means it's OK for critters... The farm is too small to pay the $$ to get certified for human food. But they don't treat it with any chemicals. They eat it themselves. I've only grown two additional fingers since I started eating it. :)

I'm trying to remember the name. I'll let you know.

Meantime, you might call the county Ag folks in the counties surrounding you. Get the names of a couple farms. If they don't produce what you want, chances are they can tell you about a buddy that can square you away.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

I found the info, Big Country. PM sent.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

craig's list.

usually will be wheat for planting.

not yet is wheat GM is my understanding- a few months ago.

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

Next time you are in Pennsylvania order in bulk and pick up with these guys, they will sell to you as a retail customer.

http://www.dutchvalleyfoods.com/

Official retailer of Wheat Montana.

Not the local solution, but one nonetheless......Good Luck!

Re: Having trouble finding a local wheat supplier
 

High quality wheat is selling at about 10 cents a pound to the farmer.