Farmers may be concerned about where their barley will go after an announcement from Anheuser-Busch that the Moorhead, Minn., malting plant will close in 2025, but representatives of the company say there’s no need to worry.

“We remain committed to supporting our grower partners and will continue to source directly from them, as we have for the past 165 years,” says Nicole Zahradka, director of agronomy for Anheuser-Busch. “We are confident that the actions we’re taking now will allow us to even better serve our customers while also becoming a stronger company and industry leader.”   

In a recent announcement, Anheuser-Busch said it will be closing the Moorhead malting facility next year. This announcement comes alongside updates to several facilities, including the sale of the Sutton, N.D., and West Fargo, N.D., elevators.

Anheuser-Busch has reached an agreement with Rahr Malting Co. to take on the full capacity of malt production for Moorhead. As a result, the Moorhead malt house will be closing, and any new supply of A-B’s North Dakota and Minnesota barley will be redirected to Rahr’s Shakopee, Minn., malt house starting in 2025. Anheuser-Busch’s elevators in Sutton, N.D., and West Fargo, N.D., will be posted for sale and will continue operations.   

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“As we continue to build toward a strong future, we’re updating our malting operations and expanding our decades-long relationship with Rahr, a trusted partner and leading malting company,” Zahradka says. “Anheuser-Busch purchases, on average, more than $50 million a year in barley from our 250-plus grower partners across the Midwest, including North Dakota and Minnesota, which is more than any other brewer, and this will not change.”

These updates do not affect any of the company’s grower partnerships across the U.S., as Anheuser-Busch will continue sourcing directly from them as it always has.

Rahr has been a trusted business partner to Anheuser-Busch for more than a century. These updates will enable Anheuser-Busch to uphold its long-standing, intergenerational partnerships with the more than 700 American farmers across the country who share a drive and passion for superior quality.

Anheuser-Busch contributed information for this article.