ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - Two Busch brothers are speaking out about the Saint Louis Zoo Association's plan to buy Grant's Farm with AB-InBev money.
Adolphus and William "Billy" Busch both want the farm to stay in the family.
The brothers speak highly of the Zoo and what it means to St. Louis. But, they told Newschannel 5 Grant's Farm also means a lot to them and they are not ready to let it go.
With 281 acres and six decades of history as part of the fabric of St. Louis, Grant's Farm is owned by the Busch family and open to the public for free. But beyond the farm is a private home known as the Big House.
Photos: Inside the Busch Family Estate
"It's where we grew up," says William "Billy" Busch. "It's a part of us and I still consider it home today."
Billy and his brother Adolphus Busch IV are just two of six Busch siblings who own Grant's Farm together. The other four siblings want to sell it the Zoo for $30 million and AB-InBev is willing to give the Zoo the money to do it. The company currently runs Grant's Farm on a lease from the Busch family.
The Zoo calls this expansion a "game changer" that would triple the Zoo's size and allow them to do more work with endangered species and education.
But Billy Busch says he can make a comparable offer for the land and buyout his siblings. He envisions a brewery of his own beer, Kräftig, located on Grant's Farm. And says he would maintain the character of the farm and protect his family's legacy.
"There's very few remnants remaining of the Busch family anymore," says Billy Busch referencing the 2008 InBev buyout of the company his family started, Anheuser-Busch. "Now the Zoo partners with InBev and they're going to buy Grant's Farm from us, too. That's truly that last historical remnant of the family and I just don't want to see it happen like that."
"Billy is, of course, the only family member who wants to carry on a legacy of beer brewing," Adolphus said in support of his brother. "And he can utilize Grant's Farm to market the beer much the same as our father did when he bought the Cardinals."
In a statement, the other four Busch siblings say they believe selling to the Zoo would fulfill their father's wishes and keep it running for generations. The Zoo says this is a family matter it doesn't want to intrude on.
A judge in probate court will likely determine whose plan has a chance to become reality.
The Zoo says it would need public support, possibly in the form of a sales tax, to maintain Grant's Farm on a yearly basis. Busch says no public money would be needed if he takes full ownership but he is still working out a specific business plan.
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