Archives: FAQs

Short answer: Drought in the US and war in Ukraine.

Longer answer: In late ’21 oat prices started to increase exponentially. Our buyer said the reason was twofold. 1) A drought in the major oat producing area of the US and 2} the gov’t heavily subsidized the growing of wheat in 2021. Oat farmers switched over to take advantage of the added income, creating a further shortage of oats.

In Feb 2022, war erupted in Ukraine, also known as Europe’s breadbasket due to its fertile soil, cheap labor, and deepwater ports. Conscripted farmers are not harvesting winter crops nor planting spring crops, creating a shortage of all kinds of agricultural products. Millers and bakers are having to scramble to find other sources of grain, including from the US, creating a dearth on our continent as well.

Unfortunately, this is sometimes the nature of the cooperative buying business. We strive to keep our website updated several times a week with availability. Sometimes an item goes out of stock between the time you placed your order with the co-op and the co-op places the combined group order with the warehouse. We will try to keep you updated with new estimated arrival dates, or you may choose to have your item(s) refunded.

Of course the sooner the better, but any order left at the co-op for longer than six weeks, will be donated to the Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry. Orders not received at the PA warehouse will be returned to inventory.

On occasion the co-op is confused with a retail store. We do not carry any products in-stock and orders are not immediately available for pickup. Wake Forest orders are cooperatively accumulated until an $1500 minimum group order is met. which occurs every month or so. The orders will be available for pickup the week after that minimum requirement is met. You will receive an email or text with pickup directions after the orders are sorted.

Myerstown PA pickups are typically available the next business day. You will receive an email or text with pickup directions after the orders are delivered to the customer pickup dock.

Many of our wheat products come in a chemical-free and certified organic option; Prairie Gold wheat for example. The major difference between them is the way the fields are treated prior to planting. Organic crops require organic fertilizer, whereas the chemical-free crops are grown with a commercial fertilizer. Neither crop is treated with herbicides or pesticides once sprouted.

Our products are not organic unless specified in the item title and description.

Most products are not packaged for long term storage. Wheat, beans, and rice come packed in paper feed bags or boxes and will need to be repackaged for use six month or more from now. For short term, within a year or so, we recommend high density polyethylene buckets and snap on lids from your local hardware store. There will be a triangle on the bottom with a 2 and the initials HDPE.

For longer term storage, you should invest in mylar foil bags and oxygen absorbers. The co-op has had good experiences with the folks at Sorbent Systems. This page has a chart to assist you in choosing the proper sized O2 absorber for your needs, along with videos and supplies for your long term storage needs.