Exhibit 99
[LOGO and Letterhead for Midwest Grain Products, Inc.]            PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  MIDWEST GRAIN POSTS SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS INCREASE


         ATCHISON,  Kan.,  February 7, 2000--Ladd  Seaberg,  president and chief
executive officer of Midwest Grain Products,  Inc., announced today that results
for the company's  second  quarter of fiscal 2000 moved ahead of results for the
same period the prior year.

         The  company's  net income for the quarter,  which ended Dec. 31, 1999,
was $1,563,000, or 17 cents per share, on sales of $59,962,000. That compares to
net income of $1,430,000,  or 15 cents per share,  on sales of $53,917,000  that
Midwest Grain experienced in the second quarter of fiscal 1999.

         For the first six months of fiscal 2000,  the company had net income of
$2,314,000,  or 25 cents per share,  on sales of  $114,937,000,  compared to net
income of $2,096,000,  or 22 cents per share, on sales of  $105,855,000  for the
first six months of fiscal 1999.

         Seaberg  attributed  the second  quarter  earnings  improvement  to the
effects of heightened  demand for the company's  wheat gluten,  specialty  wheat
proteins and wheat  starches  combined with lower raw material  costs for grain.
"The  reasons  for  our  improvement  were  essentially  the  same as  those  we
experienced in the current year's first quarter," Seaberg said.  "Similarly," he
added,  "these positive  factors were partially  offset by the impact of reduced
selling  prices  for our  alcohol  products  due to the  continuation  of excess
supplies throughout the industry."

         Recently, selling prices for fuel grade alcohol have stabilized, and in
some  instances  increased,  according to Seaberg.  "While this situation is not
expected  to have an  immediate  effect  on our  results,  it  could  have  some
measurable  impact  during  the  final  quarter  of  the  year,"  Seaberg  said.
Meanwhile,  work  continues  at Midwest  Grain's  Atchison  plant to enhance the
company's alcohol  distillation  process and further improve alcohol  production
cost efficiencies.

         The  realization of even greater demand for the company's  wheat gluten
throughout  the first six months of fiscal 2000 was largely  prevented by a huge
surge of gluten  imports from the European  Union (E.U.) just prior to the start
of the year,  Seaberg  explained.  As previously  reported,  during the month of
June, 1999,  which marked the opening of the second year of a three-year  annual
quota on imports of foreign gluten,  the E.U.'s entire  allocation of 45 million
pounds  entered the United States  market.  "This surge reduced our potential to
realize a more  substantial  increase  in gluten  sales in the first half of the
year" he said. "I remain hopeful, however, that more favorable conditions in the
gluten  market may yet  materialize  during the  remainder  of fiscal  2000," he
added.

         The company  also expects to realize  continued  growth in sales of its
specialty wheat-based ingredients,  which are produced and marketed for use in a
variety of  value-added  food and  non-food  applications.  "We're  making  good
progress in this area," Seaberg said,  "and, as a result,  are  solidifying  our
position in the marketplace as a customer-oriented solutions provider."

This news release  contains  forward-looking  statements  as well as  historical
information. Forward-looking statements are identified by or are associated with
such  words  as  "intend,"  "believe,"   "estimate,"   "expect,"   "anticipate,"
"hopeful,"  "should," "may" and similar  expressions.  They reflect management's
current  beliefs  and  estimates  of  future  economic  circumstances,  industry
conditions,  company performance and financial results and are not guarantees of
future performance. The forward-looking statements are based on many assumptions
and factors,  including those relating to grain prices,  gasoline prices, energy
costs,   product  pricing,   competitive   environment  and  related   marketing
conditions,   operating   efficiencies,   access  to  capital   and  actions  of
governments.  Any changes in the assumptions or factors could produce materially
different results than those predicted and could impact stock values.

                                       ###