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Spent Grain: If someone is willing to buy, how much should I charge?

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  • Spent Grain: If someone is willing to buy, how much should I charge?

    For the last 25 years we have always given away our spent grain to a farmer for free since he picks it up and hauls it away for us. It seems like a great deal for both of us, we don't have to pay to dump it, he doesn't have to pay for feed for his pigs and cattle. Recently someone inquired about buying it from us. It would be nice to have some extra income, so we are thinking about selling it, but we don't know how much to charge for it. Does anyone have a recommendation for how much spent grain usually goes for? Also I understand that there has been a lot of talk about new regulations for how spent grain is stored and handled, but we are only a small brewpub with a 1500 bbl capacity, so I don't think we fall into the regulation category. Am I wrong about that? Can't wait to hear some response on this...

  • #2
    I never sell it but I do get kick backs from the cattle and pig farmers, like a shoulder ham or a tri-tip for helping them out.

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    • #3
      Brewmaster is onto something there. No idea what charge on this. A guess would be a percentage of what feed would cost.

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      • #4
        The farmer that used to take my grains in Williamsburg VA would buy 20 tons from Bud for $800. We gave ours away. Quite frankly it is waste and requires disposal. Find a network of small local farmers and support local agriculture! They will appreciate it and you would be surprised how much it helps!
        Mike Pensinger
        General Manager/Brewmaster
        Parkway Brewing Company
        Salem, VA

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        • #5
          Spent grain is a waste product that could very well cost you money to dispose of--getting rid of it without having to pay anything is a profit. Obviously, if you have several folks competing for it, you might be able to make some $. A fair trade in return is usual--some fresh meat every now and then.

          As for the regulatory side... IIRC, that's on hold for now, but if anything does change, it seems charging for spent grain would really help to insure you're in a regulated category.

          We all need to pay more attention to the regulatory side of this--many small breweries could be pushed to--or over--the edge by having to treat our spent grain.
          Timm Turrentine

          Brewerywright,
          Terminal Gravity Brewing,
          Enterprise. Oregon.

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          • #6
            As has been mentioned it is a waste product that needs to be disposed of, and if you don't have someone pick it up you are going to have to pay for the disposal... and that adds up.

            As for charging someone to pick it up, I am of the opinion that it opens a whole other can of worms. When you charge for it, the farmer or whoever becomes your customer and it changes the dynamic of the situation; they suddenly have the power; when they pick up, the state it is in, etc, etc. When you are giving it to them, the power is in your hands "I need it picked up by time X because we have an event tonight" etc. That's a simplistic way of putting it, but I think you all get what I am driving at

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