Dairy Team Webinar to Focus on Fermenting Whey to Produce Spirits

Apr 11, 2024

By Fred M. Hall

Using dairy whey to produce alcohol will be the focus of the May 15 dairy webinar with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

The program, from noon to 1 p.m., will will feature Curt Basina, from Copper Crow Distillery, discussing the fermentation and distillation of lactose sugar found in whey to produce alcohol. Basina will also focus on certain issues faced using whey in distillation, including legal requirements associated with distillation.

Basina, and his wife Linda, are the owners of Copper Crow Distillery in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Copper Crow is located on the Red Cliff Indian Reservation and is the first Native American-owned distillery in the United States.

Copper Crow is well-known in the industry for being on the cutting edge in the fermentation and distillation of whey, a byproduct of the cheese making industry, to produce award-winning spirits including vodka and gin produced from whey permeate. Whey spirits are also used in the production of their amaretto and aquavit.

Producers, dairy consultants and industry representatives are encouraged to attend the free webinar live from noon to 1 p.m. on May 15. Registration must be completed at least one hour prior to the program.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.