Haynes Bluestem

Haynes Bluestem is a spring wheat developed in Minnesota around 1895.  Bluestem wheats had been grown as winter wheat in the Eastern United States prior to that time.  When bluestem was taken to the harsher conditions of the plains, it was grown as a spring wheat.  Mr. LH Haynes selected two heads of Bluestem in 1884 and began growing it out in his garden.  By 1895 this variety was being distributed as Haynes Bluestem, and it was grown in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin.  At that time it was considered an excellent milling and bread making wheat.  There were once many different varieties of bluestem wheat grown in the Midwest, but today Haynes is the only bluestem wheat we can find in any seed bank.  Many of the early discussions of Red Fife and Marquis mention bluestem wheat as the contemporary standard, so we are very interested to revive this part of wheat history.  We plan to have Haynes Bluestem flour available in the Fall of 2023.