New investment coming to malt quality lab
The USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Cereal Crops Research Unit (CCRU) in Madison, Wisconsin, has long played a vital role in barley improvement and development in the U.S. serving as the primary malt quality lab for the industry. Their ability to process a high volume of malt samples consistently throughout the year ensures the public barley variety development program is informed by robust data.
The National Barley Improvement Committee (NBIC), supported by the American Malting Barley Association (AMBA), has historically worked to secure federal funding to support the lab, including the new facility constructed in 2006. It was recently identified that the micro-malting equipment in the Lab that is used to prepare barley samples for analysis had fallen to such a state of disrepair that the potential analysis capacity could not be fully realized. This limits the productivity and success of barley research in the U.S.
Equipment challenges keep the lab working at only 2/3 capacity
Over $20K in repairs in just the past two years; some beyond repair
Downtime creates bottlenecks in research pipeline; limits progress
Over the past year, AMBA and NBIC have advocated for increased investment in the malt quality lab. They have urged USDA-ARS administrators to recognize the need and to work with scientists and staff at the malt quality lab on feasible solutions to maximize full productivity. Fortunately, advocacy efforts have been successful and the Madison CCRU was recently awarded nearly $1 million dollars for the refurbishment of the malt quality lab. They will be using a local contractor and expect the project to be completed in time for the 2025 harvest. CCRU staff will continue to process samples throughout the upgrade, however returns may be slower. They appreciate your understanding and patience.
AMBA and NBIC would like to thank USDA-ARS for their commitment to maintaining this vital infrastructure.
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