Maine's Grain Renaissance: Holden Turner's Cooke Environmental Research

"I’m a home baker and a student of environmental studies. In combining both interests I talked to people from [Aroostook] County to the coast about how Mainers think about their daily bread, and it was fascinating," Turner said.

Maine is experiencing a grain renaissance. While it was once part of New England’s breadbasket, grain growing largely disappeared in the state by the twentieth century. In the last twenty-five years, however, many bakeries and breweries have appeared in Maine, and food activists, artisans, and farmers are re-making its strong grain economy.

Holden became interested in this topic after environmental historian Matthew Booker visited Bowdoin in 2019 armed with sourdough starter to hold a bake-off with Bowdoin dining. Booker's presentation featured North Carolina State University's Sourdough Project, a long term effort to map and genetically sequence the yeasts and bacteria's in sourdough bread.

To investigate Maine grains today, Turner partnered with leaders in the Maine Grain Alliance to connect with business owners and activists who are grappling with questions of what food should be. At the end of his fellowship, he presented a report to the Maine Grain Alliance about the resiliency of regional grain networks.

"Maine Grain Alliance was fully supportive of my work through and through, and I’m left with some answers for them about how the grain economy is responding to change. Still, I’m left with other questions about food and environments that I will continue to pursue in my work and studies ahead," he said.

And even while working remotely, he was able to sample a lot of bread.

This summer the Environmental Studies Program will have 11 fellowship opportunities. Learn more about Bowdoin's Environmental Studies Fellowship Program.