Early Bird Farm plans new mill for stone-milled flour; aims to supply Mount Diablo school district

Martin Pretchell, an Early Bird Farm & Mill representative, described the farm’s mission and said it will install a new milling machine next week and begin supplying local schools.

“We believe in craftsmanship, discipleship, and hospitality, creating spaces where truth is pursued,” Pretchell said, reading Early Bird’s mission statement. He told the meeting the farm’s mission is “to restore vitality through regenerative agriculture, stone milled grains, and the rhythms of a life well lived.”

The speaker said Early Bird was established in 2014 and has been milling flour for about 10 years. Pretchell described the farm’s focus on whole-grain, stone-milled products and on techniques meant to retain the bran and germ that are removed in industrial roller-milling. He said the farm is installing a new mill that it calls “the Austria,” and that the machine is expected to be installed next week.

“We have just started to, just next week, actually, we’re going to be, installing a new mill,” Pretchell said. He described the mill as a technology that “unrolls the grain in 1 pass” and which Early Bird plans to develop openly so others can replicate it.

Pretchell said the farm is developing products for local institutions and identified the first institutional partner as Mount Diablo School District. “The kids are the first people to be able to enjoy this flour,” he said.

The presenter explained why the farm emphasizes whole-grain and slow-fermented breads. He argued industrial roller-milled white flour removes bran and germ and that fast industrial bread-making skips fermentation, which reduces digestibility; he said slow-fermented breads such as sourdough are easier to digest for many people.

Pretchell described the varieties the farm grows, noting differences between hard white, soft white, red winter and red spring wheats and their typical uses in bread and pastry. He said Early Bird has compared its small-farm grain with larger organic growers in laboratory testing and found differences in size, protein quality and flavor, which he attributed to soil and growing practices.

The presentation included practical outreach: Pretchell said Early Bird offers recipes and education, and he invited attendees to check the farm’s website for new products next month following the mill installation.

Ending: Pretchell closed by inviting questions and noting the farm’s upcoming product availability following the new mill installation.