Malting barley sales are handled differently in USA and Canada, said Vince Smith at the recent Alberta Agricultural Economists Association. American farmers are contracted to grow malting barley, while Canadians have what he called a "lottery" system. Smith said Canadians pass on opportunities to grow higher yielding feed barley varieties in hopes they will achieve malting quality. "That tends to generate much larger areas of malting barley plantings than you get in the United States." Maltsters like the system because they do not have to pay for storage. They carry about three months of inventory and farmers bear the rest of the storage costs on their farms until their grain is accepted.

20 May, 2003