Pigeon Forge (United States) (AFP) – In a country best known for its large industrial farms, its surprisingly long-lasting bread and its starchy cereals, Chuck Childers gets up before dawn to operate one of the oldest grain mills still in operation in the United States.

Published on: 03/09/2026 - 12:19

The Old Mill was built in 1830, in eastern Tennessee (south), on the banks of the Little Pigeon River, to grind corn using a granite stone weighing more than 900 kilos.

Nearly 200 years later, Chuck Childers continues to make it work in the heart of the Appalachians, a mountain range that extends across the entire east coast of the country.

More than a question of heritage or tradition, the 68-year-old wants to believe that old methods will come back into favor to offer healthier food on a smaller scale across the United States.

“There has been a resurgence” of interest in “healthy food,” he says.

The miller believes that people are now looking for “whole foods, the way they were prepared in the past: the dishes that their grandmothers or great-grandmothers made”.

The corn he uses is grown in Tennessee, never genetically modified, and no chemicals or additives are added to the cornmeal or polenta he produces.

Traditional versus industrial

Millers like Chuck Childers argue that traditional mills produce healthier foods.

Conversely, during the industrial process, "a large part of the fibers are eliminated", explains Danielle Nierenberg, president of the Food Tank association, which seeks to build a sustainable and equitable food system.

To this end, “revitalizing” traditional mills, where thousands were once in operation in Appalachia, is essential for her.

But these places have closed successively for decades, unable to keep up with industrial giants who have a hundred times their output.

Now a retired miller, John Lovett estimates that fewer than 100 traditional mills are still in operation in the country.

Poverty and poor health

But increasing their numbers by getting the population to eat healthier — particularly in Tennessee where many live in precarious conditions and have limited access to fresh produce — is a difficult battle.

And even if a minority actively campaigns for this, "I think that a large majority is not concerned", estimates John Lovett.

If the desire to do without industrial products is present, healthier alternatives are expensive.

After building his own mill in the small town of Dandridge, Clive Valentine nevertheless sees hope.

According to him, the Covid-19 pandemic “has opened people’s eyes to what they put in their bodies”.

A few years ago, around twenty people passed through his mill every weekend. Today there are ten times more.

“People want healthy, organic, non-GMO food,” he says.

A “affected” rural America

In Sevierville, birthplace of recently deceased country star Dolly Parton, chef Derek Green is on a mission to promote the farm-to-table movement.

“If I know what nourishes my meat, my vegetables, everything, it will produce a better product,” he assures from his restaurant, The Appalachian.

Derek Green acknowledges that organic foods and traditionally milled grains are too expensive for many Americans, but he says the movement "feels very concrete right now."

For her part, Danielle Nierenberg is campaigning for part of the subsidies paid by the American government to the agri-food industries to go to traditional mills.

“Rural America is hit hard by everything. Farmers are going bankrupt every day,” she recalls.

But she also sees an opportunity for those who offer healthier products: “If they grow them,” and process them, “people will buy them.”

© 2026 AFP

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