Local Barley Becomes Local Booze at a Wisconsin Distillery Prioritizing Ag Sustainability

In Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, State Line Distillery in Madison is pioneering a sustainable approach to spirit production by partnering directly with local organic farms to source barley and other grains. This grain-to-glass method emphasizes regenerative agriculture practices, aiming to minimize waste through a closed-loop, small-batch distilling process. The distillery’s founder, John Mleziva, highlights the importance of sourcing ingredients as locally as possible to support community farms and showcase the region’s rich agricultural heritage. The Driftless Area’s unique topography of steep hills and deep river valleys presents both challenges and opportunities for sustainable farming. State Line Distillery’s collaboration with local farmers promotes soil and water conservation, addressing the environmental degradation caused by decades of intensive corn cultivation in the Midwest. Regenerative agriculture techniques used by these farms focus on improving soil health and reducing erosion, which is critical given the region’s vulnerability to soil loss. This initiative is part of a broader movement to rethink farming practices in the Corn Belt, where large-scale corn production has led to significant environmental and economic issues. Corn farming, which dominates the Midwest from Ohio to Nebraska, contributes heavily to nitrous oxide emissions due to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use, exacerbating climate change. By shifting to more sustainable grain production and supporting local agriculture, State Line Distillery and its partners are working to mitigate these impacts while fostering a resilient, community-centered food and beverage economy. The efforts of State Line Distillery reflect a growing trend among food and beverage businesses to integrate sustainability into their supply chains, promoting climate action at a local level. This model not only benefits the environment but also helps preserve the cultural and agricultural identity of the Driftless Area, offering a replicable example for other regions seeking to balance economic viability with ecological stewardship.