By Christine Graf
The owners of the WestWind Ag are seeking approval to open Z-Farm Brewery, a craft brewery and taproom, on their 308-acre farm on Old West Road in Moreau.
The brewery would be located in an existing building on the property that would undergo extensive renovation.
According to WestWind Ag’s Rachel McDermott, “The plan is to take some areas of the farm that we can’t put into crops and make some income on that area of the farm so that we can preserve it.”
In 2016, McDermott left her career as an investment banker in New York City to join the family business. She graduated from Cornell University in 2008 with a degree in applied economics and management.
“I was raised on the farm,” she said. “I always had a desire to be closer to my roots.”
McDermott’s father, James Czub, and uncle, Robert Czub, established WestWind Ag in 1983. The business has grown steadily over the years, and the brothers now farm more than 1,500 acres of land and have six employees. The majority of their 1,500-plus acres of farmland is leased. The Moreau property, a former dairy farm, was purchased in 2016.
Since joining the business, McDermott has focused on diversifying operations. Under her leadership, WestWind Ag invested in soybean processing equipment. As a result, they are now able to extrude their soybeans into oil and meal. The farm’s planting operations have also been expanded to include brewers and distillers grains.
“We’ve spent the last three decades growing crops. We’ve spent the last three or four years investing in the research and development side of specialty crops like malting barley and distillers grains, and now we want to vertically integrate that process and create a destination for these craft beverages where we can grow them on site and create this flavor of our area,” she said. “It’s a sustainable agricultural model, and it’s meant to drive income from the farm from the ground up—you could say from the ground to your glass. Over time, as we continue to invest in the property, we hope to grow up to 100 percent of our ingredients on the farm and brew all of the different seasonal beers on site.”
If the project is approved, brew master Christian Ryan will oversee the brewing operation. Ryan has worked as head brewer at several establishments, including Crossroads Brewing in Catskill.
“The farm is managing the agronomy in connection with the brewer who is making the finished product,” said McDermott. “It’s a partnership. Christian is very qualified. This isn’t a home brewer kind of thing. We want to make this work. We want to take everything we’ve learned and everything we’ve worked for over the last 30 years and apply it to something with more value.”
Some neighboring property owners have expressed concern over potential soil and water contamination.
“We’ve tried our best to abate the concerns by the local residents,” said McDermott. “We’ve done extensive studies on our wells and our waters.”
WestWind Ag hired engineering firm C.T. Male & Associates to perform the well and water studies. Engineers determined that the soil is more than adequate for the on-site wastewater disposal and drainage system.
McDermott will be relying on the farm’s water supply for her own family. She and her husband are remodeling the farmhouse on the property and will live there with the baby they are expecting in April
WestWind Ag hopes to receive approval for the project at the town’s Jan. 27 planning board meeting. According to McDermott, she has responded to all of the planning board’s requests for additional information and has also provided them with a letter from the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
“This is a Right to Farm town, and Ag and Markets has provided a letter to the town saying that this is a farm use and that it is protected under our Ag and Markets laws,” said McDermott.
McDermott said there have also been misconceptions about the concept of the craft brewery itself.
“Many people don’t quite understand what a craft brewery is and the culture behind it and the art and the chemistry that goes into the whole process. We’re not running a bar in downtown Saratoga open until 4 a.m. This is more like something you would see in the Finger Lakes where there are farm wineries and farm breweries and farm distilleries,” she said. “It’s about someone coming and having a beer or two and leaving with a four pack and some T-shirts.”
McDermott plans to file for licensing with the state Liquor Authority, put a down payment on brewing equipment, and apply for a building permit. Site work will include renovating the existing farm building and installing a deck and a driveway.
“We will hit the ground running,” she said. “We’re shooting to be finished by mid-July but realistically, it will probably be closer to the fall.”