THE STORY OF DANCING GRAIN

Dancing Grain Farm Brewery is a field-to-glass farm brewery, designed entirely around the crops that are most suitable for our family farm. Located on 308 acres in Moreau, NY, DGFB has evolved to be a vertically integrated expansion of the family’s grain operation. We grow, brew, taste, and test all our products on our farm, fine tuning them season after season to bring our patrons the freshest, most sustainable, and environmentally friendly beers we can!

DANCING GRAIN FOUNDER

RACHEL (CZUB) MCDERMOTT

Rachel McDermott is a WestWind farm family member and a graduate of Cornell University, like her father and her father’s father. Having grown up close to her father, Jim and uncle, Bob, Rachel knew that a traditional corporate career wasn’t in the cards for her. After seven years as an investment banker, Rachel traded in the patent pumps and Upper East Side apartment for shit-kickers and a pickup. Since then, she has focused on creating value for her family farm by supporting the diversification of their operations including a small grains program, several processing facilities, and now a farm brewery. Over the last five years, Rachel, and her family, have trialed dozens of small grains varieties to bring the best New York State can grow to breweries and distilleries. Dancing Grain Far Brewery is the vertically integrated result of those efforts!

Rachel is committed to sustainable farming – a term she uses to describe the symbiotic relationship between land and farmer – one can only give as much as the other gives. She aims to reduce waste across her farm’s supply chain by repurposing byproducts, incorporating crop rotations and cover cropping methods, to reduce the farm’s reliance on chemical applications, focusing on carbon sequestration through evaluation of perennial grains, and evaluating renewable energy options that not only reduce the farm’s overall reliance fossil fuels but also its energy bill. Rachel is a former board member of Saratoga PLAN and is passionate about farmland conservation for future generations. To learn more about how the Czub family transitioned into a regenerative field-to-glass brewing operation, check out the timeline below!

Jim and Bob Czub Jr., together with their father, purchase their first farm in Schaghticoke, NY, a former dairy farm, and spend the first few years retrofitting the farmstead for their new grain farming operation.

In the mid 80’s Jim and Bob picked up a lease in Moreau, NY for 230 acres of farmland. Decades later, this farm would be offered to the brothers for sale and becomes the home for Dancing Grain Farm Brewery!

The Czub brothers successfully grow their grain operation to >2,500 acres of corn, soybeans, hay and straw, before a tornado demolishes their Schaghticoke farm and base for all operations. End 20th century.

The Czub brothers work together to rebuild their home farm while maintaining their other acreage positions. This required significant investment in additional grain handling capacity and spurred their transition into value-added agricultural products. The brothers begin milling and delivering their commodities directly to dairy farms for cows to consume onsite. This differs from a traditional model where commodities are transported to major ports for export.

Rachel McDermott, then Czub, takes her first position as a credit analyst with Bank of America in Houston working with all facets of the energy industry. Meanwhile, the continued growth in Saratoga County, a massive shift to consolidation in the dairy markets, among other things, began squeezing the leasehold acreage the Czub brothers controlled. Their 2,500-acre land base began to shrink, rapidly.

The Czub brothers, faced with a declining land base, were offered to purchase the Moreau, NY farm – home to Dancing Grain. Although the investment was necessary to maintain a foothold in the agricultural industry, no additional cashflow was generated to support the leverage needed to close the transaction. The Czub’s inherited several dilapidated buildings, including two old tie stall dairy barns, a shop, garage, and farmhouse. That same year, Rachel decides to leave her role as an Associate with Societe Generale in NYC to join the family’s farm operation.

the Czub brothers, faced with a declining land base, were offered to purchase the Moreau, NY farm – home to Dancing Grain. Although the investment was necessary to maintain a foothold in the agricultural industry, no additional cashflow was generated to support the leverage needed to close the transaction. The Czub’s inherited several dilapidated buildings, including two old tie stall dairy barns, a shop, garage, and farmhouse. That same year, Rachel decides to leave her role as an Associate with Societe Generale in NYC to join the family’s farm operation.

With the full 308 acres under their control and in their names, the Czub’s begun to upgrade the farm by investing in 115,000 feet of tile drainage to increase soil health, fertility, and lengthen the growing season. Rachel works directly with local and regional brewers and distillers to create a specialty grains program designed to enhance the quality and usability of malting barley, distillers’ rye, and corn. Several research trials are conducted between 2017 and 2021 on farm to provide real-world commercial data for growers and producers.

Rachel submits a Planned Development District to the Town of Moreau for multi-use plan of the Moreau farm over the next generation, including the investment in abandoned farmstead buildings, renewable energy, and tourism.

After several iterations and 7.5 months of a full-term pregnancy later, the Planning Board approves the farm brewery concept and Dancing Grain Farm Brewery is finally born – Covid hits and all site work and renovations come to a screeching halt. Rachel, and her husband, Sean, welcome their 10 lbs 2 oz baby on 4/20, and life is scary, but the future is bright!

Renovations take shape, but DGFB is still faced with labor and supply chain issues and financing hurdles due to pandemic related concerns. Rachel and Sean purchase a camper and move their baby, dog, horses, and cats to Moreau to undertake a full farmhouse renovation, shop rebuild, and brewery build almost entirely on their own. Christian and Bert Weber of Common Roots Brewing Company join the DGFB team, helping to close the gap on start up delays and advise on beer quality and production.

DG hires Head Brewer, Chris (Duffy) Dufrain with an extensive brewery background. Duffy began home brewing in the early 2000’s and attended the American Brewer’s Guild. After his brewing education, he began working with Shmaltz in Clifton Park and worked his way up to Head Brewer. He maintained that position after the company was purchased by Single Cut Beersmiths until leaving in 2022. Duffy is an expert at scaling small recipes and has brewed beer via Single Cut’s contract facility for many “big brands” you know and love! We’re thrilled to have Duffy!

PRESENT DAY

We are farmers first, and see ourselves as shepherds of the fields. Keeping our soil healthy and fertile and our water fresh and clean is a priority for both our farm and the brewery!