Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Consistent demand from the craft brewing industry means solid malt barley contract prices for Canadian farmers, which in turn has driven up acres on the year. Maltster demand has been well met so far this year, one market participant said, but previous years’ weather has caused supplies to fall, propping up spot […] Read more
Canadian maltsters’ barley needs covered for now
Lethbridge feed barley’s spring rally muted
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Lethbridge feed barley should be seeing its largest premium over fall and winter months, but so far this year the market’s spring rally has been limited. “This year all we’ve seen is a $5 to $10 per tonne move higher,” said Jim Beusekom, analyst at Market Place Commodities. “So it’s pretty minimal […] Read more
The malting lottery continues
Having barley accepted for malting has never been a sure thing, and that’s still the case following changes to the marketing system
Reading Time: 4 minutes Malting barley can be one of the most profitable crops in Western Canada — if you can grow it, and if you can sell it. That’s not necessarily easy. Many farmers try — it’s estimated that 80 per cent of the barley sown in Western Canada is seeded to malting varieties. But only about 20 […] Read more
The chicken and egg scenario of new barley varieties
Maltsters will buy new barley varieties if farmers will grow them. Farmers will grow them if maltsters will buy them
Reading Time: 6 minutes When ordering a beer these days, your choice is no longer just a couple of same-tasting brands from big national or international breweries. North Americans have developed a taste for “craft” beers from an ever-expanding list of smaller breweries. Different beers need different malts, which creates a demand for different varieties of malting barley. But […] Read more
Brewers toast Australian gluten-free barley
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sydney | Reuters — Australian scientists say they have developed the world’s first WHO-approved “gluten-free” barley, a breakthrough for global beer manufacturers. They have had to use alternatives to barley such as rice and sorghum to brew gluten-free beer. Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) said April 8 it had sold 70 tonnes […] Read more
Limited selling, buying leave feed barley flat in Lethbridge
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Lethbridge’s feed barley market is sitting stagnant, as feedlots quit hand-to-mouth buying and farmers hold onto their grain. Farmers who stored their feed barley post-harvest don’t want to sell at current prices, despite relative strength, said Jared Seitz, trade manager for Agfinity at Stony Plain, Alta. “It’s not so much that prices […] Read more
Feed barley due for spring rally
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Feed barley in Western Canada usually sees a spring rally at this time of year, although the uptrend this year will be limited by large supplies still overhanging the market. Feed grains had trended lower through late February and into early March, with feed wheat leading to the downside. Losses in feed […] Read more
Alberta to launch malt barley insurance
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta is set to launch Canada’s first crop insurance product for malt barley this year. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) last week said it will now provide insurance coverage for a malting end-use for growers with malt barley contracts. The coverage is subject to a contract from a licensed buyer, with a minimum […] Read more
Buyers eating up Lethbridge feed barley
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada –– Lethbridge feed barley prices have strengthened on bargain buying, according to one market watcher, while demand for feed wheat is steady at best. Lethbridge barley prices have increased from $200-$205 in January to $205-$215 in February, as the grain becomes more difficult to source, said Jim Beusekom, president at Market Place Commodities. […] Read more
Russia said considering export duties for corn, barley
Reading Time: < 1 minute Moscow | Reuters –– Russia’s agriculture ministry is considering introducing an export duty for corn and barley, Russian news agency Interfax reported Wednesday, citing First Deputy Minister Evgenii Gromyko. “We will discuss this question,” he said. Gromyko added that the question was planned to be discussed at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
