How Hayden Flour Mills Grows Ancient Grain

Wheat is a big part of American agriculture. Hayden Flour Mills in Phoenix, Arizona is just one small company that processes wheat into flour. Founder Jeff Zimmerman decided to revive what was the defunct Hayden Flour Mills in hopes of creating grains reminiscent of the past. While the modern-day company has only been around since 2010, its aim is to make flour the old-fashioned way again, the way the flour was once made at the original almost-century old mill.

According to the This Built America video above, there were over 23,000 flour mills in the U.S. in the 1800s, which is unsurprising because land-raised grains have an impressive genetic ability to adapt to even the harshest of environments. Hayden Flour Mills has been cultivating a 6,000-year-old wheat called White Sonoran that took 17 years to grow out from a handful of seeds. It is the oldest strain of wheat in North America. It's been around since the 1700s and is the basis for the popular Hayden Flour Mills brand, Arizona Rose.

Their grains require 65 percent less water and fertilizer than industrialized grains. This strain of wheat even manages to grow in less than ideal soil and arid climates. This type of grain could be key to solving famine, which makes Jeff Zimmerman proud to feel that he is contributing to a potentially life-saving crop.

Watch the video above to learn more about Hayden Flour Mills.

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