Conrad, MT- February 17, 2015 – The Golden Triangle Barley Update, a collaborative effort of Montana State University Extension and industry, drew over 100 producers and industry leaders to Conrad February 10, 2015. This popular event is held every three years and brings together…
2014 Crop Barley May Require Special Attention in Storage
2014 Crop Barley May Require Special Attention in Storage
Milwaukee – September 2, 2014 – The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service forecast a record yielding barley crop in its August 12, 2014 Crop Production Report. August rains in some areas however, are impacting the quality of the crop that was not out of the field when they came.
Regional Malting Barley
May 21, 2014 – Every North American brewer has their favorite variety or in most cases, group of varieties, that are suited to making their product line and perform well in their breweries. Historically, the choices were made based on the barley that was best adapted to the region in which a brewery was located. Six-rowed varieties originating from northeast China dominated in the eastern and midwestern US, two-rowed varieties from Europe in the intermountain west, and six-rowed varieties out of North Africa in California. Each type had its own quality strengths, but their field performance was a primary force in determining what brewers were using in different regions of the continent.
USDA-ARS Malting Barley Breeding in Idaho
Malting barley production in the western United States was dominated by two-rowed varieties introduced from Europe until the release of the variety Klages in 1973. There are numerous reasons for this, but two stand out. Breeding programs focused on feed varieties during prohibition so it was some time before they were able to incorporate the desired malting and brewing quality into varieties adapted to the region. Secondly, 90% of the malt US brewers were using in the 1950s was made from six-row varieties, so European two-row varieties like Betzes from Poland, Moravian from Czechoslovakia, and Piroline from Germany were able to supply the industry with all the two-row it needed.
AMBA Provides Comments on Proposed FDA Regulations
AMBA Provides Comments on Proposed FDA Regulations
American Malting Barley Association (AMBA) filed comments on proposed FDA regulations that would impact how brewers handle their spent grains and on ho w elevators store barley. The FDA published the proposed rules in response to the Food Safety and Modernization Act that was signed into law on January 4, 2011. One set of proposed rules dealt with food for humans and the second for animal food.
read more…
Increased Interest in Growing Malting Barley
Barley acreage in the US has declined to levels not seen in over 100 years, but the interest in growing malting barley has spread to regions in the US that have not grown the crop for many decades. The driving force behind this interest is the movement to source food locally.
US Barley – Feed Grain to Specialty Crop
Barley has gone from being a major feed grain to a specialty food crop in the last twenty-five years. While there are still a few areas, primarily corn deficient regions, in the US that utilize barley for livestock, barley’s major use is for malting. This malt makes its way into many of the cereals, crackers and baked goods that we eat and of course, the beer and other malt beverages that we drink. This shift to a higher value food crop has occurred as acreage has declined and barley’s value has increased.
Accelerating Barley Variety Development
April 18, 2013 – New genetic technologies are being applied to the development of barley varieties that greatly increase breeding efficiencies. Many of these technologies grew out of the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funding for the Barley Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) and are being used to enhance agronomic and quality traits of barley…
Brewing Industry Needs a Diverse Supply of Malting Barley
October 11, 2012 – The North American brewing industry has long relied on domestic barley production to produce the beers enjoyed by consumers. US production is almost exclusively dependent on six-rowed and two-rowed varieties that have been developed in North America.
Potential for Increased US Malting Barley Acreage
Several factors could lead to a trend in not only greater barley acreage in the US, but also an increase in the geographic distribution of malting barley production. Rising world beer production, a growing domestic craft beer industry, and local sourcing of ingredients all contribute to potential changes in the production of malting barley.