USA: North Dakota forum focuses on barley

The North Dakota State University Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences (IBMS) is holding its first Barley Production and Management for Profit Workshop, according to NDSU Extension Communications, January 28.

Bob Cuthbert, Canadian Wheat Board senior marketing manager, will begin the day speaking about the malting barley world marketing situation.

Terry Gregoire, NDSU Extension area specialist in Devils Lake, will cover the agronomics of growing barley. Specifics on planting rates and fertilizer practices will be covered by Grant Jackson, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station field agronomist.

Following Jackson, Joel Ransom, NDSU associate professor and Extension specialist in cereal crops, will provide an update on barley varieties. Jochum Wiersma, University of Minnesota Crookston Extension assistant professor, will highlight genome research efforts being done by the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service-funded Barley Coordinated Agricultural Project. The goal of the project is to accelerate variety development efforts.

Finishing out the morning will be Donald Tanaka of the USDA's Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, who will discuss crop rotations in relation to growing barley in the northern Plains.

Ray Grabanski, Progressive Ag Marketing president and weekly columnist, will be the featured speaker during lunch. Grabanski will talk about marketing during boom times.

Dwight Aakre, NDSU Extension specialist in the Agribusiness and Applied Economics Department, will be featured immediately after lunch, discussing domestic barley markets as compared with other crops.

The newest trends for insuring malt barley will be discussed by Cole Gustafson, NDSU professor of Agribusiness and Applied Economics. Paul Schwarz, NDSU malting barley quality professor, will discuss why quality matters followed Karen Hertsgaard, IBMS information specialist, who will deliver a brief explanation of the IBMS.

The final event of the day will be a panel discussion focusing on the concerns of barley growers and end users. Panelists are Al Slater, Anheuser-Busch; Alain Caekaert, ADM Malt; Jim Hettinger, Coors Brewing Co.; and producers Louis Arnold of Esmond and Doyle Lentz of Rolla.

The barley day is open to the public and free of charge. Sponsors include the American Malting Barley Association, NDSU Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences, North Dakota Barley Council and North Dakota Grain Growers Association.

30 January, 2008