North America: Barley crop down this year due to sharply lower yields brought on by heat and drought

The North American barley crop declined in both the United States and Canada in 2021, driven primarily by sharply lower yields brought on by heat and drought on both sides of the border, The New Brewer reported.

The total crop in North America was down by around one-third compared to 2020 totals (which were revised up in both the U.S. and Canada).

U.S. crop decline was driven by both decreased harvested acres as well as decreased yields, whereas the Canadian decline was driven exclusively by sharply lower yields.

Canadian harvested acres actually increased, and this year represented the largest harvested geographic area since 2008. Though the United States saw a decline in the percentage of planted and harvested acres, it increased slightly in terms of total production, up to 26.4 percent of the crop compared to 25.7 percent.

Early reports suggest quality issues and the potential for higher protein levels in malt in the coming year. High protein levels can pose challenges to brewers in the form of low extract levels, reduced shelf life, and haze formation.

In its Small Grains 2021 Summary released September 30, the USDA/National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated U.S. barley production at 118 million bushels, down 31 percent from the 2020 revised total of 171 million bushels. As noted, the smaller crop was driven both by decreased planted and harvested acres, down 2 and 12 percent respectively from 2020; and lower yields, down 16.8 bushels to 60.4 bushels per acre (down 22 percent). That figure represents the lowest national yield since 2007 and breaks a five-year streak of yields above 70 bushels per acre.

Estimates for Canadian barley production were significantly below last year’s, with an 8-percent increase in harvested area offset by a 38-percent decline in yield. This is the smallest Canadian crop since 2014 and the smallest North American crop since 1949.

13 December, 2021