The idea for the Kneading Conference began with a group of Skowhegan residents, oven builders, millers and bakers who were motivated by the critical need to address wheat production in light of a growing local food movement. The first Kneading Conference was held in July of 2007 in the heart of Somerset County, where wheat production fed over 100,000 people annually in the mid 1800′s. With the advent of transcontinental railroads which provided cheap transportation, and the appeal of the rich topsoil and longer growing season of the central plains, grain farming in Maine declined. Today less than 1% of Maine’s wheat demand is actually grown in Maine. Reviving wheat varieties that succeed in Maine’s climate is not only a realistic goal, but a critical one in light of rising transportation costs and the recognition that food security must rely on local farms.
Year Three, 2009: The third annual Kneading Conference grew by 25% with attendees arriving from nearly half the states in the U.S and also Canada and Belgium. Nearly 200 people sat down to the delicious meals cooked up from local harvests by Firefly Catering. The growth sent the Steering Committee into “visioning” mode to determine the best way to grow into the future. At present we are exploring possibilities of moving to a slightly larger site. But attendees have resoundingly told us that the intimate scale of the Conference is an important part of the experience, so rather than grow one conference we are launching a fundraising campaign so that we can schedule small workshops throughout the year.
2009 marked the first year of the Maine Artisan Bread Fair, and event open and free to bread lovers and bakers. The Bread Fair attracted a much greater response than anticipated and we are currently considering other venues for 2010.
Year Two, 2008: The second annual Kneading Conference was held in Skowhegan, Maine on August 1-2, 2008. Over 100 people were in attendance, including farmers, bakers, millers and oven builders from all over Maine, New England and other parts of the country. Resounding positive evaluations by our presenters and participants alike encourages the Steering Committee to continue to work on building and supporting agricultural infrastructure and encourage baking bread from wheat grown and milled in Maine. Year One,
Year One 2007: The first conference in 2007 generated excitement among the complementary baking, farming, and oven building communities and stimulated the research for local infrastructure to store and mill grain, critical to enabling a revival of small grain growing. As an outgrowth of this Conference, two of the founders of the Kneading Conference, Amber Lambke and Michael Scholz, have purchased the Somerset County Jail in downtown Skowhegan and construction is underway to convert it into a grist mill, cheese cave, and locally-supported grocery café. Interest among potential grain growers led to successful grant applications to support farmer scholarships to the 2007 event.
