US, ND: Barley acreage on the decline, production helped by higher yields

Barley acreage is on the decline in the region, with some 88,000 acres a year going to other crops in North Dakota, Joel Ransom, NDSU Extension agronomist, was quoted as saying by Farm & Ranch Guide on March, 28.

On the other hand, barley yields have risen about one bushel per acre a year.

"Those of you who were growing barley 10 years ago are getting about 10 bushels more per acre now, and I think that is positive for the barley industry," said Ransom. "We've also had good weather, and that certainly helped production."

Last year, the variety Tradition still claimed the most acres at about 42 percent of the barley acres, followed by Lacey at about 25 percent.Out in western North Dakota, Conlon, a mostly feed barley variety, consistently occupies about 10 percent of the acreage, while Robust is nearly disappearing in the state, he said, adding that in 2006 Robust occupied 20 percent of the acreage.

"Tradition has been the leader for the past three years, with Stellar-ND on the decline," Ransom said.

Ransom said there are several new varieties on the AMBA (American Malting Barley Association) list that are giving barley producers plenty of good choices. Celebrationwas added in 2008 and Lacey, Legacy, Rasmussen, Robust, Stellar-ND and Tradition are all on the AMBA list in the six-row varieities.

"Quest, developed from the University of Minnesota, is our first somewhat scab resistant variety," he said. "It will have lower DON (toxin produced by fusarium fungi) levels than any of the others, and was recently added to the AMBA list."

While there isn't much contracting for two-row barley in North Dakota, Conlon and Pinnacle are on the AMBA list, he added.

"When you make your choices, I hope you use as much information as possible," Ransom said. "So even though you grow in the west, and think the yield information from the east is not applicable to you, yield is still one process in selecting a variety."

In the eastern regions, Rasmussen was the top yielder last year with 117 bushels per acre followed by Tradition with 116.

Innovation is a new variety from Busch-Ag that yielded about 111 bushels last year.

"I thought Innovation was on the fast track to be on the AMBA list and I've heard it is being held right now. It is a variety that looked very promising a year ago," Ransom said.

In the western region, Tradition is the yield leader with 98 bushels to the acre in 2010, followed closely by Celebration with about the same number of bushels. Ransom calls Tradition the "work horse" in the western regions.

"Rasmussen, our top yielder in the east, tends to do about average in the west," Ransom said.

When producers look at multi-year averages, the data is probably more accurate for how the variety might perform in 2011 than just looking back at a single year, he added.

In data from the east from 2008 to 2010, Rasmussen was the highest yielder, followed by Celebration and Lacey.

In data from the west from 2008 to 2010, Tradition was the top yielder, followed by Lacey and Rasmussen.

One of the biggest concerns with Celebration is its protein content at slightly higher than 15, Ransom said. But Rasmussen and Tradition are very acceptable with protein at around 14. With percent plumps, Tradition had the highest at around 75 percent last year in western North Dakota.

Among two-row varieties, Conlon has been the main variety over the past two year. Pinnacle is offering a yield advantage over Conlon, however, he said.

30 March, 2011