Why can’t I purchase wheat?

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.

Why is my Local Pickup order now out of stock?

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.

Do you ship to California?

The Prop 65 list currently contains over 900 naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals ranging from aloe vera, to wood chips, to chemicals like acrylamide that form naturally in the cooking process for certain foods (such as chips and pretzels).  As a result, chemicals on the Prop 65 list may be in certain products sold by The Grain Mill. 

As a matter of company policy, The Grain Mill will no longer sell or ship products to California.

 

Is my co-op order ready for pickup?

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.

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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.

What’s the difference between chemical-free and organic?

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.

Are your products packaged for long term storage?

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.

Do you ship during the weekend?

We do not have a UPS weekend pickup. Orders placed after 10:30 AM on Fridays will ship Monday the following week. You will receive tracking information by close of business Monday.

Can I change the shipping address?

If you have made a mistake with the shipping address, we can often catch it before the parcel is processed within 15-30 minutes or so of the order placement. After a parcel is processed, you can change the shipping address for a fee using UPS’ package intercept program, UPS My Choice.

  • $17.00 for web requests
  • $23.90 for phone requests
  • No charge for delivery to a UPS Customer Center