River-Friendly Farming: Red Tail Grains Protects Our Watershed Through Sustainable, Local Grain Cultivation
We sat down with Danny Cowan of Red Tail Grains, a sustainable grain farm operating in the Haw River watershed. Their farming practices directly impact our local water quality, demonstrating how agricultural choices within our watershed can protect or harm our river systems.
Red Tail Grains was founded around 2012 by Danny and his business partner, George Allen, as 50-50 owners. They started the farm because they noticed that while local farmers' markets offered most foods locally (vegetables, meat, dairy), the bulk of people's calories - grains and legumes - weren't locally sourced. Even the few local mills were sourcing their grain from out-of-state, making locally-grown flour inaccessible for most bakeries in the area.
They began with a quarter acre borrowed from Luther Livermon and Karen Bley at Quarry Dog Farms, and Abraham Palmer, from Box Turtle Bakery, offered to buy their first crop of heirloom Red Fife wheat. Their first harvest failed due to rain and mold, which Danny sees as a valuable early lesson. They tried again on a couple of acres, succeeded, and have since expanded, rotating crops on about 70 acres of leased fields, with their farm base located in southern Orange County, near Saxapahaw.
From their website, their growing practices align closely with organic standards (though they aren't "Certified Organic"). They prioritize producing high-quality grain through healthy soil cultivation. They never use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, and all crops are non-GMO. Soil fertility is developed through cover crops, manures, compost and organic fertilizers. They rotate winter cereals, red clover, buckwheat, millet, sunflowers, soybeans, cowpeas and corn.
Danny explained the challenges of organic farming when keeping the environment and water quality in mind. Organic farming relies on tillage as its main form of weed control, but since tillage damages soil structure and can cause erosion, affecting water quality, they are trying to learn how to create a no-till organic system. They're working toward practices that are both organic and regenerative by experimenting with cover crops and roller crimping - a method where cover crops like rye and clover are grown, then flattened with a crimper to create a mulch mat. This allows them to plant directly into this protective layer without tilling, preserving soil structure and preventing weeds naturally. This practice directly benefits water and soil quality by significantly reducing erosion during heavy rains, keeping sediment out of our streams and rivers.
As stated on their website, they're "striving towards reducing the amount of mechanical tillage we now rely upon in order to build soil organic matter, but it is quite difficult without the use of herbicides. As we gain experience and learn from others, we hope to continue developing a holistic system that harbors diversity and accumulates organic matter."
Economically, they face challenges as sustainable practices often aren't rewarded in our current system. Like most organic farms, they balance this by accepting lower personal pay, charging higher prices for quality products, and creating donation programs to keep their food accessible. By controlling the entire process from field to flour to bread, they ensure quality control throughout the water-sensitive aspects of production. This integrated approach has attracted customers who typically can't tolerate conventional wheat products but find Red Tail's products digestible.
They sell at multiple farmers' markets, have an online shop with pickup options, and focus heavily on education to help customers understand the value of their sustainable approach to grain farming. When you choose locally grown grain products like those from Red Tail Grains, you're supporting farming practices that protect our watershed by eliminating chemical runoff from pesticides and herbicides, reducing soil erosion through mindful tillage practices, and preserving the natural filtration systems that keep our local waterways clean and healthy. Additionally, by purchasing locally grown grains instead of conventional products shipped from thousands of miles away, you're significantly reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and helping to mitigate climate change impacts, as conventional grain production and distribution typically involves heavy fossil fuel use for both growing and shipping.
Visit their booth at the Carrboro Farmers Market every Saturday or order online at redtailgrains.com to support local grain farming that protects our watershed. Your food choices directly impact the health of the Haw River – choose local and sustainable to keep our waters clean.
