Return of Rosen Rye offers farmers new markets

Chad Munger, the CEO of Mammoth Distilling in Northern Michigan, is working to revive the state's lost reputation as a rye producer by reintroducing Rosen Rye, a grain originally brought over from Russia a century ago. This winter crop, which was previously hand-sown on a nearly deserted island in Lake Michigan, has been sourced from the USDA's seed bank and certified for commercial production by the Michigan Crop Improvement Association. Munger's partnership with Michigan State University and a special exemption from the National Park Service to reestablish seed farms are key to this revival. Despite the challenges, such as lack of infrastructure on the island, Munger is optimistic about the potential of this project to create a new market for a traditional grain that has been out of fashion for decades.

One distillery in Northern Michigan is trying to restore the state’s prominence as a rye producer and it’s going to great lengths to do so. “Our goal here is to make Rosen Rye a viable commercial grain for growers across the state.” Founder and CEO of Mammoth Distilling Chad Munger tells Brownfield during the prohibition era Michigan farmers supplied Rosen Rye to bootleggers across the east coast. It was then later used by many of the major national brands. “If you went into the store today, you would not find a bottle of alcohol that one named the grain that was used in making the spirits, and you certainly wouldn’t find a label that told you where it was grown,” he says. “And we think that’s exactly the kind of information that ought to be on a label.” The seed was brought over at the turn of the century from a Russian student attending the Michigan Agriculture College and bred for farmers as a winter crop. As its popularity grew throughout the Midwest, so did its tendency to ...