Beer leaves behind tons of grain. Farmers have found a use for it.

Millions of tons of brewer’s spent grain are generated every year in the U.S. That process also generates an estimated 4.7 million metric tons of spent grain annually, much of which is reused as livestock feed or compost. Researchers and agricultural extension specialists have studied brewer’s spent grain for decades, particularly as feed costs continue rising across the livestock industry. Still, for all his forward-thinking, Stahl was one of the farmers who decided that the demands of brewer’s spent grain outweighed the benefits. Still, researchers are continuing to explore uses for brewer’s spent grain beyond livestock feed.