b'Above: Jeptha Creed keeps grows corn close to the distillery.PHOTO: JEPTHA CREED DISTILLERY. RIght: JD Miracle, agromomist at Homestead Family Farms.Breeding corn for specific traits like flavor or regional unique-ness is a fascinating idea, but its a long game, he says. Youd need at least a decade just to test how a variety might influence the flavor after aging. Its high-risk for seed companies because the payoff is so far out.He notes the balance seed companies must strike when investing in traits.Homesteads fields provide the corn for Diageos Bulleit bourbon. PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOMESTEAD FAMILY FARMS.You want a product that meets a wide market, he says. If youre just producing for one small region, its not a sustain-able business model. But theres opportunity heretraits likeHowever, DeBolt cautioned against conflating sustainability smoother grain complexity or enhanced regional characteristicswith newer terms like regenerative agriculture. could shine through in bourbon. Regenerative agriculture is just sustainability with a new DeBolt also points out that modern breeding has achievedname, he said. The data from Kentuckys 50-year no-till trials remarkable progress in disease resistance.show that it takes decades to recover the carbon lost from till-Seventy years of breeding for disease resistance meansage. Progress is slow but measurable.todays corn is incredibly clean, he says. Thats vital becauseHe added that cover crops and no-till practices are critical to even small levels of disease can create off notes in the distillate maintaining soil health. earthy or musty flavors that detract from the spirits quality. If we hadnt made these advances, wed be clearing forests or Nethery says her focus always remains on flavor.using marginal lands to grow enough corn, he says. Instead, were Yield and efficiency are important, but we cant lose the soulable to produce efficiently while preserving natural ecosystems.of what makes bourbon special, she says. Flavor connects us toIn every sip of bourbon, theres a legacy that begins long history. Its worth preserving. before the spirit reaches the glass. From the careful selection of corn hybrids to precise cultivation practices and the artistry of Sustainability Saves the Seed and the Spirit distillation, bourbon embodies a harmonious blend of science, Sustainability is not just a buzzword in the bourbon industry tradition and passion. Every part honors the history and the land its a necessity.and the seed that make this spirit distinctly American. Corn growers and agronomists have been the greatest envi- As the industry looks ahead, balancing sustainability, inno-ronmentalists of the past 100 years, DeBolt says. Weve seenvation and authenticity, one truth remains: bourbons story will an eightfold increase in yields with only a 10% increase in inputs.always begin with the seed and end with a taste that connects us Thats extraordinary. to its roots.SW36/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2025'