Farm Power Malt in Montana: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Farm Power Malt is the craft malting business of Ryan Pfeifle, whose family has raised barley for generations near Power, Montana. Pfeifle turns Central Montana barley into malt for local breweries and runs a related distillery, Farm Alazana, that makes single malt whiskey.
| Location | Power, Teton County, Central Montana |
|---|---|
| Founded | Family barley farm for generations; craft malting began after Pfeifle returned to the farm around 2008 (founding year not published) |
| Sectors | Malting barley; craft malting; whiskey distilling |
| Scale | Acreage and malt volume not published in the sources reviewed |
| Why it is notable | Farm-to-malt processing in a state that grows barley for the largest brewers; supplies local breweries and a farm distillery |
| Ownership | Ryan Pfeifle and family |
| Official website | Montana Ag Network feature on Ryan Pfeifle and Farm Power Malt |
History of Farm Power Malt
Ryan Pfeifle grew up on his family's barley farm near Power. He earned an engineering degree at Montana State University, worked at Semitool in Kalispell, spent time in Scotland, and returned to the family farm around 2008.
Back home he started home brewing, learned craft malting, built his own malting machine and later trained in malting in Canada. He then met the Serenelli family of La Alazana in Argentina and built a distillery with a custom still in Power.
What Farm Power Malt Grows and Raises
Historically, the Pfeifle family sold barley to industrial breweries, including MolsonCoors, which had operations near the farm. Industrial barley orders have recently been cut, which pushed attention toward value-added products made from the farm's own crop.
Pfeifle malts Central Montana grain into craft malt that goes to local breweries, and he told the Montana Ag Network that single malt whiskey is made from 100 percent malted barley. In 2019 he also malted purple barley that another Montana miller added to bread.
How Farm Power Malt Makes Money
Barley for large brewers
The family's long-standing business has been selling barley to industrial breweries. Much Montana barley is pre-contracted to large brewers, and grain that misses malt specs generally goes to feed at a lower price.
Craft malt for local breweries
Farm Power Malt sells malt to Montana craft brewers, a market that needs smaller lots and local sourcing rather than railcar volumes.
Farm Alazana whiskey
Distilling single malt whiskey lets the malt become a finished consumer product, giving the barley farm a finished product to sell.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Farm Power Malt
Own one more step of the chain. Malting turns barley into a higher-value product, and distilling gives the malt another outlet. Each step requires equipment and training, so test it on a small scale first.
Diversify away from a single buyer. When big-brewery orders fell, a farm with craft customers and a distillery had somewhere else to sell.
A farmer who builds his own malting machine and then a custom still clearly refuses to let a good barley crop go unsupervised. Fans of farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes about grain that ends up with better manners than the cowboys should head to farm.FM, where the jokes are single malt and aged exactly as long as the punchline requires.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Farm Power Malt
No company website, street address, phone or email was found in the sources reviewed, so the best verified public page is the Montana Ag Network feature, November 2026. Confirm malt availability and distillery visits directly before traveling.
Farm Power Malt Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Montana Ag Network - Farmer finding new spirit for Montana barley
- Associated Press - Choteau craft miller combines conservation and ancient grains
- Montana PBS - Montana's malt barley industry
- Montana State University - 2024 spring barley report
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Barley acreage and production data
Farm Power Malt FAQ
Where is Farm Power Malt?
In Power, Montana, in Central Montana barley country.
Who runs it?
Ryan Pfeifle, who returned to his family's barley farm around 2008.
What does it make?
Craft malt from Central Montana barley, plus single malt whiskey through the related Farm Alazana distillery.
Who buys the malt?
Local breweries, according to the Montana Ag Network.
Farm Power Malt shows how a barley family can add value by malting and distilling its own grain when big-brewery demand shifts. For more notable operations and practical guidance on markets, programs and credit, see the Montana farms guide.