Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Declining beer consumption due to the COVID-19 pandemic will also lead to reduced demand for the malt barley to brew it — but acreage to the crop is unlikely to see much adjustment on the Prairies. “I don’t think there’s any question — without sporting events, and festivals, and concerts – that beer […] Read more
With beer taps off, malt barley demand down
No significant drop in barley acres expected
China-Australia row to reshuffle trade in bulging barley market
Gains for Canada, other exporters won't be 'magical'
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — A prohibitive Chinese import tariff on Australian barley will benefit other suppliers without changing the bleak global outlook caused by large stocks and depressed beer demand, analysts and traders said. Beijing said on Monday it would apply an 80.5 per cent tariff on Australian barley imports for the next five years, […] Read more
Why marketing is the test, no matter how great your idea
“It’s a mind-shift,” says value-add pro Gary Morton. Success takes groundwork, strategic planning… and money
Reading Time: 3 minutes Branding that identifies you as the producer and connects buyers to your farm product is a key strategy for adding value to farm products, says Halifax-based business consultant Gary Morton with Morton Horticultural Associates. “You are kind of in a sea of sameness,” says Morton, who has worked with all types of farms, not only […] Read more
Maltsters keen on promising new barley varieties
The recommended malting list for 2018 contains varieties with better agronomics than Copeland and Metcalfe
Reading Time: 4 minutes For a change, it’s not just farmers who are eagerly greeting new malting barley varieties. Maltsters, too, are singing the praises of emerging varieties intended to replace the big two. The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre’s 2018-19 list of recommended malting barley varieties emphasizes growing demand for AAC Synergy, plus two new varieties, AAC Connect […] Read more
From hogs to hops
Quebec farm family focuses on supplying local markets with a variety of hops
Reading Time: 3 minutes When Francis Gagné’s family decided to get out of hog production, it prompted the St. Bernard, Que. farmers to go through a process to decide how it wanted to diversify. The family had some flexibility. It continued to grow traditional cash crops and with space for 50,000 broilers, there was cash flow. Gagné says they […] Read more
Something old for something new
This century-old malt barley variety is set to launch a renaissance in the brewing sector
Reading Time: 6 minutes *[Updated with email comment at bottom: Aug. 25, 2017] The key to branding any product is to start with a good story, and the recently re-instated registration of OAC21, a six-rowed malting barley, is a “feel good” story, particularly with Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017. On its own, OAC21 isn’t expected to ever become a huge […] Read more
Back to the future for Manitoba brewer
Neepawa’s Farmery Estate Brewery is highlighting the farm-brewer connection by showing the public the ingredients that make beer
Reading Time: 2 minutes A farm-based beer maker is offering a unique agri-tourism destination that will show attendees the historical ingredients that were used to make beer. Neepawa’s Farmery Estate Brewery, run by brothers Chris and Lawrence Warwaruk, are showcasing the malt barley varieties ranging from a century ago to modern times on their operation, which also produces other […] Read more
Can the beef value of beer barley be rated with just one test?
Barley that fails to meet malt grade makes it the most common grain fed to feedlot cattle
Reading Time: 4 minutes After wheat and canola, barley is the most prominent crop in Western Canada. From 2005 to 2014, an average of 7.9 million acres was seeded resulting in an average annual production of 9.2 million metric tonnes. Barley grain has two primary end uses: as malt for beer or as livestock feed. On average, the value […] 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
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
