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Value added corn creates business opportunity for Illinois farmer

Photo credit: Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.

An Illinois corn farmer looking for value-added opportunities has grown his operation into a high-demand distillery.

President and CEO Jamie Walter says Whiskey Acres Distilling Company was intended to help make his farm more profitable.

“But as we have grown, pretty soon the distillery will be the larger business and so the farm will effectively support the distillery.”

He says the Dekalb, Illinois facility is one of few that grows its own inputs, and each bushel of corn is worth hundreds of dollars.

“There’s about three pounds of corn in every bottle so it’s a small percentage of our overall production that goes into the spirits, but it is a very high value bushel of corn.”

He says they mainly grow conventional hybrids, but their knowledge of corn genetics gives them an edge.

“We are able to grow and preserve certain varieties of yellow dent [corn] that we think make superior flavored whiskies.”

Whiskey Acres sells 100,000 bottles a year to more than 500 locations in Illinois.

Audio: Interview with Jamie Walter

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