The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $1.5 million loan to Stearns Electric Association through the Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Program to support the owners of Redhead Creamery in their efforts to establish an innovative on-farm distillery that uses the leftover whey from their cheesemaking process to produce premium distilled spirits.

Whether it’s assisting meat processors, strengthening the country’s critical food supply chains or encouraging climate-friendly alternatives to energy and fertilizer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to providing affordable financing for the unique needs of America’s rural communities. The organization is now overseeing and implementing new loan and grant products to expand clean energy, transform rural power production, create jobs, and spur economic growth.

The world has changed in so many ways since 2018, but access to capital is one challenge that has remained a constant throughout. Great River Energy recognized the outstanding work being done by the Entrepreneur Fund to tackle this challenge in rural Minnesota five years ago and funded a $1 million program loan aimed at helping the organization expand its impact in the communities served by Great River Energy’s member-owner cooperatives.