This Company is Helping Farms Convert from Dairy to Oats to Meet Demand

Just when you thought the story of farming in American was only full of bleak tales, along comes a story of hope, resilience and environmentally forward-thinking.  And it is due in large part to your tastes and the public's changing preferences, for oat milk.

Founded by Helena Lumme and Mika Manninen, the oat yogurt brand is using a Scandanavian method of oat farming which reportedly results in cleaner, more nutritious and higher quality oat crops. Hälsa oats are now grown in Scandinavia with a "zero water footprint," according to the company, which wants to bring it to farms across North America.

Oats are exploding in popularity as the public has a new-round romance with oat milk, oat ice cream and oat creamers. Oat has emerged as the most popular dairy alternative, with +184% more restaurants adding oat milk alternatives to their menus last year, and consumer interest in oats as a dairy alternative has grown 146%.

Hälsa has created a coalition of organic farmers, researchers and environmentalists to support the conversion process of farms in the US, and is planning to publish a guide book and video to provide educational support for dairy farms who want to start growing premium oats.

Tthe oat is a resilient grain that also serves to fight soil erosion control and reduces the need for herbicides. Oats require much less water than almonds, cashews or coconuts that are often used for non-dairy milks, each of which requires enormous amounts of water to grow.

“Oats are one of the most environmentally friendly ingredients for making plant-based milks and other products,” Hälsa co-founders Helena Lumme and Mika Manninen told an interviewer. “We are currently importing our organic oats from Scandinavia because we cannot find the quality that meets our standard in the United States. At the same time, US dairy farms are struggling due to slumping milk sales. So we thought, why not come up with a solution that benefits both of us and our planet?”