Regen Mills began in 2021 as a solution for farmers growing specialty grains. It became a way to remove the middleman and put more profit back into farmers’ pockets. But it wouldn’t have come to fruition without a problem that needed solving.
Russell Hedrick (RH): There was an individual who told a bunch of farmers that they were going to build a massive piece of infrastructure, build a mill for farmers to bring regenerative grain to. Then all of the farmers planted all of this grain and the whole thing never followed. They never built the buildings and just left the farmers holding the bag.
So, Hedrick, along with Liz Haney, decided to create Regen Mills. It’s a mobile milling operation that was designed and built by Hedrick – and that is FDA compliant. The mill itself is contained within a 24-foot trailer and designed to work on any farm without specialized electricity or equipment. Interested farmers sign up to use the mill, which is then brought directly to the farm to mill heirloom and non-GMO regenerative grains like buckwheat, millet, sorghum, and others that can’t be processed at large grain mills used for traditional grains either because of cross contamination (some of these grains are for celiac-only products) or due to pricing (smaller grain amounts equate to a larger cash-out for the grain operator; not the farmer).
RH: It’s a way for farmers to bring the mill to their farm, grind the grain and sell it directly to the consumer. There’s no middleman for them.
And the price for using the mobile mill is cost effective. Regen Mills only charges by the quantity of grain milled. Farmers are only paying for what they actually use it for without any additional fees for overhead or infrastructure. By keeping fees low, but still manageable, Hedrick says it ensures that the company stays healthy so that there is money to readjust the mill stones or replace equipment as necessary.
To date, most farmers using the mobile mill pay between $1 and $1.20 per pound of grain with that cost including the milling, the bag, bagging the grain and labeling it for sale. This is a major difference in pricing in favor of the farmer’s bottom line compared to milling specialty grain at a traditional or larger grain mill.
And within the regenerative agriculture community, good news travels fast, which means Regen Mills is on the cusp of major growth with plans to scale up as steadily as they can. Right now, that’s about 25 farmers invested in the company and future plans call for building additional mobile mills that can be used across the country and adding educational resources and conferences to the mix through collaboration with Hedrick’s and Haney’s other venture, Soil Regen, which provides community focused, farmer-first soil health and regenerative ag events.
Hedrick likens it all to a community of farmers who have banded together “to have one voice, one brand, and help each other sell our product to consumers over one channel.”
RH: Our goal is to get more farmers involved in the company, get farmers to invest in the company. So, we can build more mills and serve all areas.
Special thanks to Liz Haney for providing the photo of the trailer.
