MNN - Mother Nature Network

Barley is to beer as grapes are to wine, so brewing company MillerCoors recognizes just how vital the growers dedicated to producing high-quality barley are to its business. Every other year, the company celebrates those growers at Barley Days, an event that enables MillerCoors executives to meet the farmers that put sustainable practices into action at their barley farms.

In this video, MillerCoors Idaho Regional Supervisor Kris Smelser discusses how the Barley Days event brings the growers and the corporate executives together to learn, interact and celebrate the growers' achievements.

Taking place at a MillerCoors facility in Burley, Idaho, Barley Days enhances the sense of community shared by MillerCoors and its network of barley growers. Over the past 70 years, the brewing company has established great relationships with the farmers they depend on. Rich Rosengren of The Nature Conservancy notes that this direct, positive relationship could be a model for other companies in the future.

During the field day event, MillerCoors executives tour barley test plots, thank the growers for their good work, and name the Growers of the Year.

"We get to learn about the company's business, meet executives and find out how they appreciate the barley and how important it is to the beer," says John Stevenson, a MillerCoors barley grower.