A brewery by product feeds local farms animals
Next time you drink a local brew, raise your glass to the happy cow, pig or chicken who will dine on leftovers from the brewing process: spent grain. Then celebrate your part in keeping Wilmington sustainable.
At FarmAsea, a nearly 50-acre farm outside Hampstead, Marylee and Gabe Reaume raise quality beef, poultry and pork. Spent grain from Salty Turtle Beer Company in Surf City is always on the menu; it’s high in protein, fiber and contains antioxidants.
On a late spring day, Marylee pointed to two chickens sitting in a barrel of spent barley and noted that in addition to nourishing the animals, it also feeds the soil where the chickens scratch and peck. It has the added benefit of suppressing weeds.
Every week the Reaumes pick up spent grain from Salty Turtle and Outer Dunes Brewing Company.
To recycle their spent grain, dozens of brewers and distillers in the Cape Fear area, including Flytrap and End of Days, call former cattle farmer Jimmy Harrell, known to all as Farmer Jimmy. He’s been the middleman among the brewers and several local farms for more than 20 years.
“I’ve got someone who feeds it to their peacocks,” he says. “A while ago, some was sent up to NC State for analysis. The spent grain was higher in protein than regular cattle feed.”
Surf City Brewing Company owner and brewer, Clint Smith, gives his spent grain to Kimberly Bisping of B&B Farms in Pender County, where she raises cattle, hogs and chickens. Recently the farm donated a hog raised on spent grain for a barbecue fundraiser hosted by the brewery. Proceeds from the event benefited Share the Table, a local food bank.
For all involved, the process is satisfying. Brewers don’t have to pay to dispose of the grain. Farmers get free feed and fertilizer. Consumers enjoy a local product knowing they are part of a circle that benefits the community.
Marylee and Gabe Reaume of FarmAsea were recently awarded a US Department of Agriculture research grant for practicing silvopasture, another way to make the farm more sustainable. Silvopasture integrates trees, forage crops and grazing animals. Animals rotate among pastures to prevent overgrazing, and by opening tree canopies, sunlight reaches the ground to create a richer ecosystem for livestock, grass and pollinators.
This story was originally printed in the Summer 2024 issue.
