Reading Time: 3 minutes Reciprocal tariffs from Canada and Mexico may raise costs and limit export opportunities for U.S. barley growers, at a time when beer demand is also falling.

With beer drinking down in U.S., barley farmers now fear tariffs
Tariffs could hurt U.S. barley exports to Mexico, Canada

Technical centre wants farmers to consider barley
AAFC projects higher barley production in 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutes As farmers prepare for spring seeding, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre reminded them to keep barley in mind.

Good quality Canadian malt barley despite lower yields
CDC Copeland acres declined, with AAC Synergy the most popular malting variety
Reading Time: 2 minutes Hot and dry growing conditions cut into barley yields in Western Canada in 2023 but the quality was generally good, according to the yearly annual harvest report on barley quality from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC).

Bureau won’t challenge takeover of Canada Malting parent
U.K. also has 'no further questions'
Reading Time: 2 minutes The owner of one of Canada’s major commercial maltsters says its takeover by a major French peer won’t be challenged by Canada’s antitrust regulator. United Malt Group, whose Canadian assets operate under the Canada Malting banner, last month locked in on a previously announced deal to sell itself to France’s Malteries Soufflet for A$1.5 billion […] Read more

Richardson buys into European malt market
Winnipeg agrifood firm buys U.K.-based Anglia Maltings
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Canada’s biggest grain merchant Richardson International is entering the malt sector through the acquisition of U.K.-based Anglia Maltings Holdings (AMH), targeting rising demand for the beer and whisky ingredient, Richardson said on Friday without disclosing financial terms. Anglia Maltings operates seven malt facilities in the U.K., Poland, and Germany, with combined […] Read more

Little change in barley acres expected
Malt barley prices mainly steady
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — As spring planting approaches, Peter Watt of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) said there likely won’t be a big shift in barley acres that will be planted in 2023. “Producers have made their [planting] decisions for the most part. You might see people adjust their plans a little bit based on […] Read more

Consistency is key when it comes to growing malt barley varieties
New malting barley varieties yield better, but maltsters and brewers are wary of adopting them too quickly
Reading Time: 5 minutes One of the common elements of growing corn, wheat or soybeans anywhere in Canada is the volume-based market for each. Outside of identity-preserved (IP) varieties in soybeans or silage-specific hybrids in corn, there’s little differentiation. Regardless of the care or management a grower may take with commodity crops, their destination is usually the same — […] Read more

Low demand for barley keeps prices stable
Wheat's volatility not reflecting onto barley values
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Unlike the dramatic leaps wheat prices have made since the Russian invasion of Ukraine 12 days ago, malt barley prices have moved very little, according to Kris Moric of Johnston’s Grains in Calgary. Wheat “is not pulling barley prices with it, as far as we can see on our end,” Moric said, noting […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Spring rally unlikely
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Feed grain bids in Western Canada have held relatively steady over the past month despite large moves in many outside markets. However, a number of factors may weigh on values heading into the spring. Feed barley is trading in the $4-$4.95 per bushel area in Alberta, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data. Prices […] 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