Most supermarket flour is milled months before you buy it and sits on shelves for months more. Freshness matters in flour the way it matters in coffee.
A regional mill grinds smaller batches, often to order, and the flavor of freshly milled wheat is closer to a nut than to the neutral powder most of us grew up with.
Buying local flour supports a grain economy that's collapsed in most of the country — mills, elevators, and grain farmers who can't compete on price with commodity wheat.
It's not always cheaper. It is always better bread.