iStockphoto / Clara Bastian
After 45 years of a free cattle feed program run by Jack Daniel’s where livestock farmers in Moore County, Tennessee were able to use the “stillage” leftovers (corn, rye, barley), Jack Daniel’s is ending the program to partner with an energy company.
According to reports from local news outlets, panicked livestock farmers are already selling their land out of fear they will be unable to afford their operations going forward without the free cattle feed program ran by Jack Daniel’s for nearly half a century.
Jack Daniel’s Ends Free Cattle Feed Program For Panicked Farmers
To be clear, Jack Daniel’s has every right to end this program. They are not a charity, they are a global company and one of the largest and most famous whiskey producers on earth. Times are difficult for farmers but they’re just as tough for businesses, and at the end of the day this is capitalism, not charity.
After Jack Daniel’s announced the program would be ending, farmers reached out to reporter Amanda Roberts of News Channel 5 in Tennessee. Farmers told the local news outlet “this decision could devastate (their) county and their livelihoods.”
Speaking with Moore County farmer Terry Holtz, he shared his story of how he has been driving to the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee to receive the “liquid gold.” That is the runoff from the distillation process.
Livestock farmers can use the runoff which is made of corn, wheat, and barley to feed their cows, pigs, horses, and other livestock. And for the past 45. years this has been free from Jack Daniel’s.
Terry Holtz has been making that daily drive from his farm to the distillery since he was just 20 years old. Holz told News Channel 5 “I’ve been at it 365 days (a year)… multiply it times 45 (years), (that’s how) many days I’ve hauled it… I don’t miss any day.”
He went on to add “it’s that important to me but it’s that important to Jack Daniel’s that we get it gone. Or that’s what I thought, that it’s that important.”
Ending The Program To Partner With Three Rivers Energy
As the farmers lose the Free Cattle Feed program, Jack Daniel’s has partnered with Three Rivers Energy. They are a local energy plant that “converts the slop into renewable gas and fertilizer.”
That is, of course, good for the surrounding region but for different reasons. It sounds like Three Rivers is producing sustainable clean energy and fertilizer that will be repurposed in the surrounding areas, albeit not for free. And they are presumably paying Jack Daniel’s for the ‘slop’ that farmers were feeding to their cattle.
This all unfortunately comes at a time when beef prices have reached record highs due in no small part to a shortage of cattle.
Speaking about the decision to end the program, Terry Holtz says “all I know is that’s going to destroy us.” The ‘us’ he is referring to here are all of the farmers in county who were operating on thin margins.
Within the county, 89% of all farmers are livestock farmers. So this will have immediate and wide reaching consequences for the Moore County farmers in Tennessee.
The reports go on to highlight how local farmers are selling their land and livestock in preparation for what’s ahead.
His plea is persuasive, to say the least. Holtz calls out Jack Daniel’s using local farmers to bolster their reputation until now.
He said “Jack Daniel’s grew up with the people here. You used all those images to grow. And then now you want to take that image and go away with it.”
At the end of the day, this is a business decision. Brown-Forman and Jack Daniel’s have to do what is best for their business. And that includes considering the surrounding region. This is capitalism, not charity.
What this local news story fails to highlight is the impact the Three Rivers Energy partnership will have on soil and fuel in the region. That’s not to say that one is better than the other, but this is not a decision that was made lightly. Presumably, the long-term benefits will outweigh the near-term costs. But only time will tell.