Are you intrigued by the connection of soil health to ancient grains, modern farmers, and great tasting whole grain croissants? Chef Kathryn "Kat" Jiang of Seylou Bakery and Mill returns to talk with Jeff Ishee, Summer Thomas, and Eric Bendfeldt about their commitment to farmers, millers, soil health, and their customers in Washington, D.C. and the greater Mid-Atlantic region. Chef Kat is the head pastry chef and discusses the bakery's commitment to whole-farm procurement practices and how they partner with local and regional farmers to increase the availability and demand for ancient grains. Additionally, they will supply seeds of ancient grains, small grains, and cover crops to farmers to reduce seasonal risks and increase the availability of regeneratively grown grains and flours. Seylou Bakery and Mill encourages their cooperating farms to energize their farm operations and systems with diverse cash crops and cover crops. Additionally, they are helping to increase the demand and use of ancient grains like Einkorn wheat. Jeff was so inspired by Chef Kat Jiang's description of Einkorn wheat and its long history of use that he promptly bought some Einkorn flour over the weekend and baked five fresh loaves of bread. Master Baker Jonathan Bethony, who along with his wife, started the whole grain, locally sourced, fresh milled sourdough bakery in 2017 will be sharing about Seylou Bakery and Mill's soil health-building menu at the upcoming Virginia Farm-to-Table Conference. Seylou Bakery and Mill was a founding member of Common Grain Alliance, a nonprofit that connects and supports farmers, millers, bakers, and grain artisans to build a vibrant, integrated, equitable and regenerative grain economy and network in the Mid-Atlantic. Tune in, like, and subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts or 4thesoil.org/podcast As always, we encourage you to cooperate with other farmers, graziers, and gardeners for peer-to-peer learning. We can all be 4 The Soil, for the future! Here is how with four principles: 1) Keep the soil covered -- Cover crops, plant residues, and mulches are our friends; 2) Minimize soil disturbance -- Be gentle, take it easy to preserve soil structure and microbial habitat; 3) Maximize living roots year-round -- Keep roots growing to sustain biological activity; and 4) Energize with diversity -- Thrive with diverse crop rotations, multi-species cover crops, and livestock. If you are interested in more conversations about ancient grains, regenerative farming, and resilient regional food systems, please join us at the 2026 Virginia Farm-to-Table Conference at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia on December 8 and 9. Register online at: https://tinyurl.com/2026VAF2TConferenceReg If you have questions about soil and water conservation practices, or soil health principles, call or visit a USDA Service Center, a Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District office, or your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Partners include USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and other members of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest. To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org. Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia State University, and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.