AP PHOTOS: South American super grain crops up on West Coast

In this Sept. 13, 2016 photo, farmer Sam McCullough holds quinoa grains in his hand during a break in harvest near Sequim, Wash. Quinoa, a trendy South American grain, barely has a foothold in American agriculture, but a handful of farmers and university researchers are working toward changing that. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) In this Sept. 13, 2016 photo, farmer Sam McCullough holds quinoa grains in his hand during a break in harvest near Sequim, Wash. Quinoa, a trendy South American grain, barely has a foothold in American agriculture, but a handful of farmers and university researchers are working toward changing that. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

By Associated Press October 6, 2016 1 min read

SEQUIM, Wash. (AP) – Americans consume more than half of the global production of quinoa, but the trendy South American grain barely has a foothold in U.S. agriculture.

Some farmers and researchers are working to change that.

A California-based company, Lundberg Family Farms, and its network of contracted farmers along the West Coast hope to harvest 2 million pounds of quinoa this year.

The farmers include Nash Huber, who harvested quinoa commercially for the first time last month on about 30 acres in Washington state. Huber and Lundberg Family Farms chose a variety called Redhead, which turned his field bright red for a couple of weeks before harvest.

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