Canada: The man who developed one of the most popular barley varieties in Canadian history was honoured by a non-profit seed distribution agency in Saskatoon Tuesday, October 20. Brian Harvey, a plant scientist at the University of Saskatchewan, created Harrington barley 21 years ago.

The director of the Crop Development Centre at the U of S says farmers and the malting industry are deeply indebted to him.

"When it did come out, it was kind of a giant step in terms of quality," says Rick Holm. "Most of the time, advances in plant breeding are baby steps, but this was quite a large advance in quality."

Over the years, prairie farmers have grown nearly three billion bushels of Harrington barley for a total value of $12 billion.

Harrington barley is now grown in China, South Africa, Australia, and the United States, where it is still the most popular variety among farmers who grow malting barley.

24 October, 2004