USA: Coors Brewing Company to support premium barley farmers with $36 million investment

Coors will invest $36 million in regional farming communities this year throughout the Rocky Mountains to support the farmers who provide the company with 11 million bushels of its proprietary barley, Grainnet communicated July 11.

More than 700 growers from Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming will produce Coors’ premium barley from 95,000 acres, or 156 square miles, of high-elevation farmland.

“Barley is the most essential raw ingredient for brewing beer, which is why Coors is dedicated to developing the best malting barley possible,” said Steve Rockhold, director of brewing materials for Coors Brewing Company. “Working with regional growers and investing in the development of the optimum malting barley is one important step we take to ensure consumers are getting the great tasting beer they’ve come to expect from Coors,” he added.

More than 30 years ago, Coors began developing its own variety of Moravian barley through tests and studies with local agronomists and research labs.

The resulting strain, a variety-protected two-row barley, produces high yields, is disease resistant and is perfect for brewing beer because of its low protein content, tight but thin husk, uniformly plump kernels and bright colour.

Presently, Coors is the only major brewer in the United States to use its own proprietary barley strain for 100 percent of its barley needs, and is also the only major U.S. brewer to malt virtually all of its own barley.

Coors barley, specifically designed for the optimal growing conditions of the Rocky Mountains’ higher elevations, is produced in four states:

Colorado – Coors has used barley from its home state since the 1940s, and this year 275 Colorado farmers will grow 4.7 million bushels of Coors’ proprietary barley on 37,000 acres in the San Luis Valley. Coors will pay more than $15 million for this barley, which will comprise 44 percent of the company’s barley supply.

Idaho – In 2006, Coors contracted with 180 growers in Southern Idaho, who will produce 30,000 acres of barley. Coors will purchase about 30 percent of its supply, or 3.2 million bushels of barley, for $10.7 million from Idaho farmers, who have been growing Coors barley since 1968.

Montana – Growers along 17,000 acres in the Clarks Fork, Yellowstone and Big Horn valleys of Montana will receive $5.4 million for the 1.6 million bushels of Coors barley they produce in 2006. This year, 110 farmers in Montana, where Coors’ strain of Moravian barley has been grown since 1972, will fulfill 15 percent of the company’s barley supply.

Wyoming – In the Worland and Powell areas, Coors has contracted with 170 growers who have planted Coors barley on 11,000 acres. Coors will purchase the 1.3 million bushels of barley, which represents 12 percent of the company’s supply, for $4.4 million. Wyoming farmers have been growing Coors’ strain of Moravian barley since 1972.

In 2005, McKamey Farms, owned and operated by brothers Dick and Dave McKamey outside of Worland, was Coors’ top producer of barley in Wyoming, delivering more than 5 million pounds of top-quality barley to Coors. Prior to this summer’s barley harvest, Coors will host a Barley Field Day in Huntley, Montana to recognize its ongoing partnership with local growers.

Company officials will commend the top producers from 2005: Justin Foos of Edgar, who fulfilled 104 percent of his contracted allotment; third-time winners Ernie and JoAnn Taft of Sunburst, who produced a barley of exceptional yield and quality; and one grower from the region whose efforts in the conservation of soil, water, and other natural resources exemplify Coors’ commitment to environmental responsibility.

12 July, 2006