Grain School Presenter Highlight: Jay Brandt

The Brandt Family Farm is located in Fairfield County, Ohio. They are in the outskirts of Columbus and are first and foremost a grain farm. Their crops include corn, soybeans and wheat, and include many other cereal grains sold through the on farm cover crop seed business, Walnut Creek Seeds, LLC. The Brandt Farm has used soil conservation practices for over 50 years. These practices include no-till, crop rotation, and cover crops between cash crops. They continue to challenge ourselves to improve land stewardship practices.

One of these challenges is to grow Heritage Grains and provide locally milled flour to our community. The Brandt Family Farm is pleased to partner with other farms in this venture to build soil health, farm resiliency and food security in their neighborhood and throughout the region. The Brandt Family Farm is a diverse grain farm supporting three generations.

David Brandt has operated the farm for over 5 decades. His son Jay and wife Ann returned to the area in 2014 to run the cover crop seed business and help on the farm. Jay and Ann’s adult children Christopher, Isaac and Therese have joined the farm and seed business and are adding their contribution into the maintenance and growth of the diversified family business. The interest in Heritage grains lead to the purchase of a flour mill, which lead to interest from the community, not only for flour and corn meal, but for other farm families to participate in the local food movement and collaborate to bring food to the region.