USA: USDA corrected the expected crop figures for barley crop once more in August. According to USDA the forecast for barley crop in USA is 5.94 million tonnes versus 6.01 million tonnes in 2003. Harvesting has advanced further than in Canada, nevertheless weather damage has also been substantial in North Dakota. Also the unharvested one third of the Western two-row crops may be down-graded to feed barley. U.S. brewer-maltsters and trade maltsters are not concerned, because they carry much larger stocks of old crop barley of very good quality into the new campaign.

10 September, 2004