Heaven Hill Supports Kentucky Commercial Rye Cover Crop Initiative
Founded by American Farmland Trust, the Kentucky Commercial Rye Cover Crop Initiative encourages farmers to use rye as a cover crop, ultimately bringing it back as a cash crop for the state. Previously, commercial quality rye was widely cultivated in Kentucky, but in recent decades the focus has shifted to support programs for corn and soybean production. According to American Farmland Trust, “Bringing rye back to Kentucky as a commercial cover crop is building farmer and stakeholder excitement and awareness to the benefits of cover crops in general, engaging end-user business interest and support, improving regional soil and water quality, as well as contributing to the global conversation on solutions for carbon sequestration and reduction of greenhouse gases. It also broadens traditional thinking about how a single crop, such as corn, can be more sustainable when the entire field and seasonal rotation is considered.”
There are many environmental benefits to bringing rye production back to Kentucky through this project. Cover crops improve regional soil and water quality and with healthy soil comes a number of benefits:
- Healthy soils absorb more water during heavy rains, which reduces runoff.
- Healthy soils help farmers increase yields, increase yield stability, and be more productive in the long term.
- Healthy soils store carbon, which helps reduce the impact of climate change.
- Healthy soils have higher biodiversity, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers that emit greenhouse gases.
Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll became involved with this initiative when he worked for Woodford Reserve.
“We were working on a habitat restoration project at the distillery with The Nature Conservancy (TNC),” said Conor. “Coincidentally, TNC were also working with Kentucky farmers encouraging them to grow rye as a cover crop during the winter. Because rye puts down deep roots and can survive when otherwise the field might be bare, it’s great for stabilizing the soil and preventing runoff. And, since rye is one of the key ingredients in Bourbon it seemed like there was a good opportunity to get involved and ultimately provide a market for locally-grown rye.”
Since then, more distilleries and more farmers have gotten involved in the program so, when Conor joined the Heaven Hill family, he discovered that the Kentucky Commercial Rye Cover Crop Initiative dovetailed nicely with our Grain to Glass program.
“In parallel, we have Grain to Glass, which focuses on sense of place, working with local farmers and growing specific strains of corn, wheat, and now rye on our properties nearby,” said Conor. “As more farmers grow rye locally, whether involved with the Kentucky Rye Initiative or not, we’re excited to work with them as they continue to improve yield and grain quality. Last year Heaven Hill purchased sixteen thousand bushels of Kentucky grown rye and plan to purchase more this year.”
Utilizing Kentucky grown rye in our distillation process allows us to further develop our close relationship with local farmers, providing an additional revenue stream outside of the corn and soybean rotation. Additionally, rye is typically sourced from the upper Midwest or Europe, so using Kentucky grown rye means grain is transported a shorter distance, reducing emissions from transportation.
“I’m excited that Heaven Hill is part of this initiative,” said Rachel Nally, Environmental & Sustainability Manager. “We’re proud to support our local farmers as they use the Kentucky Rye Initiative to improve the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of their operations.”
