FILE - Pivot irrigation in an Eastern Oregon wheat field in a 2017 file photo.
Nick Fisher / OPB
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is making a big investment in the wheat industry with the help of the federal government.
In a press release earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it was making a $25 million loan guarantee to Blue Mountain Mill, a joint venture between the tribes and Cairnspring Mills, a northwest Washington flour company. The loan will fund a new mill on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
When completed, the mill is expected to source wheat from 45,000 acres in Umatilla County. It’s a boon to the county, which accounts for about a third of the state’s total wheat production.
Bill Tovey, the CTUIR’s economic development director, told OPB’s “Think Out Loud" that the mill is expected to generate 20 to 25 jobs. He said they hope to bring in mill workers who were displaced by a flour mill fire in neighboring Pendleton.
The tribes found a willing partner in Cairnspring. CEO Kevin Morse said Cairnspring is a social purpose corporation, meaning it’s aiming to make money while also supporting local farmers and pushing back against the “race to the bottom” of the global commodity market.
Morse said Cairnspring had visited several sites around the state looking to open a new mill. While it was initially skeptical of leasing land on the reservation instead of buying private land, Morse was eventually convinced after traveling to Eastern Oregon.
“As soon as I stepped on the ground and I looked up at the Blue Mountains and I looked at the fact that all of the infrastructure was there, I just knew that was the right location,” he said.
Morse said the tribes’ goal of food sovereignty — producing and preserving its own food systems — aligned with Cairnspring’s own values.
“We believe that by rebuilding these local food systems you can actually make communities more healthy, prosperous and resilient,” he said. “We’re looking at a return for investments in a profitable business, and we’re looking for impact.”
