Growing malt

[hobbyfrmr]

I agree with Braveheart. i have seen a couple of crops where I was selected, then I had to store the barley until spring. Resubmit sample in December to ensure germ. Pass up all the feed barley opportunities in the cold of winter. Deliver on road bans, then be rejected because the germination dropped, or protein too high, or something something.
I'm just too unreceptive/uncooperative/lazy/cranky/cash poor/old to play that game.

[Klause]

SE and SW of Humboldt, Tandem.

Hauling to the US would be a possibility... However I'm looking at barley to help with harvest type cash flow.


I.E. a malting production contract for Sept delivery like one company offered last fall (and may again this year).

[Braveheart]

Klause, we tried what you're suggesting a couple of years ago working with Richardsons and the variety CDC Meredith.

It was planned to meet some fall cash flow needs. It missed the timing because of so many resubmitted samples. The main issue was px. The sample (same sample) tested way higher in head office than the elevator.

After some phone calls to the malt trader and a little negotiation, it all moved.

The upside was it was the highest margin cereal crop for our farm that year even though yields were not great at around 70 bpa.

In retrospect, I felt we had to put too much sweat into turning the barley into the the cash it was intended to be.

[ado089]

Klause, when I do fertility recs for malt I plan for no more than 6" of rain, usually 5". Once you get the factory built for barley the N response drops off fast so you will leave some yield on the table but not as much as most would like to believe. That said if you grow more 14% pro wheat then 13% you're playing with fire if no matter what. Your high OM will be a challenge for keeping protein low. Build as much yield with P and K as you can and don't forget the S for malt. Unless you have base sats and micros on your soil test don't trust the K ppm as available. Years ago I was running an IP program with Canada Malt for a 6 row that was a little more forgiving. I don't recall the variety but it may be worth checking out...that is if you don't mind having barley as a weed for the next 5 years.

[Braveheart]

Ado, at what level does organic matter start becoming an issue for px for barley?

[freewheat]

Higher om soils areas, are usually offset by more rainfall and less heat, too though. Up here , it is hard enough to get wheat Px over 12.5 or 13, let alone having trouble with it in barley.

[freewheat]

... on soils with higher om than many areas have, I meant to say.

[tipsy]

Why bother with malt.. Malting industry is nothing more than a bunch of cherry picking gouging pos!! the godfather makes the malting industry look like an angle!

[blackpowder]

New crop contracts for $5.00 that's why.
Here anyways.

[mbdog]

black...you ever enter into malt production contract down there, and if so, are they picky on accepting? or do they try take production/work with producer?