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By Norm Herdrich
In Eastern Washington's dryland small-grain production area, small-grain
cereals have a long history as alternate crops. These include barley,
triticale and oats. These were frequently planted on allotment ground
when wheat acreage was limited under government programs. Barley
and oats qualified for payments under the feed grain program. Triticale
is a more recent development in that it is a man-made cereal created
by crossing wheat and rye. Compared to oats and barley, which have
long histories, triticale is between 40 and 50 years old.
Barley
There are several
types of barley include both winter and spring grain-type varieties.
Then, there are feed and malting types, which may be either 2- or
6-row types. In addition to these variations, there are also hulled
and hulless types, although hulled types are much more common, and
there are awned and awnless or hooded types. The hooded types are
most commonly used for livestock forage. Hulless types may also
be waxy hulless types. The hulless types are sometimes used for
human food, and use of barley for human food is increasing, according
to Dr. Steve Ullrich, Washington State University barley breeder.
Data from the
Washington Barley Commission shows that 92% of the 1999 Washington
barley crops was feed-type barley, and 8% was malting types.
Far and away,
the most commonly grown barley was Baronesse at nearly 75% of the
crop. Other feed types grown included Camelot, Gallatin and Steptoe.
Harrington was the most commonly grown malting type, followed by
Morex.
The standard
for hooded or awnless barleys is Belford, although a newer release
from WSU is Washford which has shown higher productivity and more
resistance to lodging. Bear is a hulless barley.
The Pacific
Northwest can and does grow virtually every type of barley, says
Ullrich. He adds that growing the winter barleys is the most risky,
although newer types may have more hardiness than some of the varieties
previously grown.
Characteristics
of barley are rapid emergence, competitive early growth, and there
may be some allelopathic effects, although this has not been completely
proven at this time. Diseases are generally not a major problem
with barley, and early maturity is seen as a positive characteristic
as well since it allows flexibility at harvest time. The multiple
types available provide various opportunities for marketing.
Ullrich says
the most important negative for barley is its somewhat weak and
rapidly decomposing straw. The two-row barleys have higher test
weights than do the six-row barleys. The kernel uniformity of the
two-row barleys is also higher than for the six-row barleys.
Marketing options
for feed barley include the open market or forward contracting based
on quality. This option may provide a premium for growers. Malting
barley is commonly grown under contract to a malt house or brewery,
and most contracts specify a premium for grain that exceeds specified
quality standards.
Barley grown
for human consumption may be grown under contract and growers can
expect a premium for high quality. The organic market is also a
food market and can provide premium prices. Barley grown for seed
is sold on the open market, or it can be contracted. Again, a premium
may be paid for high quality. There are also specialty and niche
cultivars, such as the waxy hulless types, as well as the hooded
forage types. Some of the hulless types are used for both food and
feed for non-ruminant animals. Food uses include cereal products
and baked goods; as well as the pearled, rolled and flaked products;
and the organic market. The export market for Pacific Northwest
barley is East Asia, according to Ullrich.
Hulless barley
is grown more extensively in western Canada. There it is finding
a market with swine producers and finishers.
DIRECT-SEEDED
BARLEY
Barley can
be planted using direct seeding techniques. Research by Ullrich
examined field performance of varieties planted using direct-seed
techniques compared to conventional tillage and seeding methods.
Based on the results of this work, Ullrich says seeding rates using
conventional methods may be higher than is needed, although seeding
rates for direct seeding may need to be higher than for conventional
systems. Ullrich notes that barley is quite flexible and will tiller
more to compensate if seeding rates are low.
He notes that
they commonly found more disease problems in barley planted using
direct-seed methods than when planted using conventional methods.
He said control of the green bridge helps keep disease problems
low under direct-seed production systems.
Fertility requirements
for direct seeding are 10 to 20% more nitrogen, Ullrich says. The
sulfur to nitrogen ratio should be 1 to 4 or 1 to 5, and nitrogen
and phosphorus may be applied at seeding below the seed for starter
fertilizer. Ullrich says there is some indication that added zinc
may increase rhizoctonia.
As for varieties,
Ullrich says that the best yielding varieties under conventional
tillage appear to be the best yielding under direct seeding as well.
However, yields were consistently lower under direct seeding than
under conventional tillage. Heading date and plant height characteristics
tended to be the same for both systems, while test weight tended
to be slightly higher for barley planted using conventional methods.
BARLEY PESTS
Ullrich says
the number one pest of barley is barley stripe rust. The next most
important pests are the soilborne diseases - rhizoctonia, pythium
and fusarium. There are followed by the Russian wheat aphid, which
is decreasing, and then the Hessian fly which is now showing up
in barley fields, according to Ullrich.
A cereal leaf
beetle is a new pest to the area. It has moved in from eastern regions,
but is fairly easily controlled using biological agents, Ullrich
says.
Barley stripe
rust is also relatively new to the Pacific Northwest. Ullrich says
that infestations of it have not been devastating yet, but it is
probably here to stay. It shows up as yellow stripes on the leaves
of barley plants. It is a different organism than wheat stripe rust,
but is similar in appearance. The biggest years for barley stripe
rust to date have been 116 and 1998. Ullrich says barley stripe
rust only came into North America in 1975, and came into the Pacific
Northwest in 1995.
Ullrich notes
that good sources of resistance to barley stripe rust are available
for breeding work. He also says that, like the rusts of wheat, there
are many races of barley stripe rust. For growers, controls for
barley stripe rust include scouting fields and controlling volunteer
plants. He advises planting winter barely as late as possible and
spring barley early. Resistant cultivars are available and are a
preferable alternative, although a fungicide seed treatment helps.
Fungicidal treatments are available, but should be viewed as a last
resort, Ullrich says.
Rhizoctonia
is a soilborne disease organism that causes root pruning. This inhibits
nutrient uptake and results in stunted, if not killed, plants. Finding
sources of resistance to the disease for use in breeding programs
has been a problem.
Regarding the
Russian wheat aphid, Ullrich says barley is more susceptible than
wheat. Very little resistance is available, but biological controls
seem to be working quite well, he says. Ullrich says there are a
few breeding lines that originated in Afghanistan and Iran which
have some resistance.
Hessian fly,
yet another import from Europe, stunts plants by infesting the hollow
stems and disrupting nutrient flow. Barronesse looks pretty good
for resistance, according to Ullrich. A new variety being developed
at WSU also looks good, he notes.
MARKETING
MARKETING
BARLEY
Barley is a
native of India and Ethiopia. It is the fourth largest crop in the
world in terms of acres grown. It follows wheat, rice and corn.
Barley has about 95% of the feed value of corn, points out Howard
Nelson of the Central Washington Grain Growers. This means that
barley prices will tend to follow the corn market. U.S. production
of barley has dropped in recent years. A lot of barley is imported
from Canada. Most of these are malt types, Nelson says.
In the Pacific
Northwest, two-row, six-row and hulless types are grown. Barley
production trends in the region have generally followed national
trends in a gradual decline. In the Pacific Northwest, Idaho is
the largest barley producer. Most of this is malt type.
The feed market
accounts for 30.2% of the usage. The food market accounts for 52.8%
of the useage, and this is mainly for malting barley. Most of this
is used to produce beer. While the feed market is based on a federal
standard of 48 pounds per bushel with good color, the malt market
is based on a company grade, Nelson says. When you grow malt barley,
you submit a sample to Great Western and they evaluate it. Factors
which affect grade include plumpness, skinned and broken kernels,
protein content, foreign matter and other crops.
Feed barley
is sold on the cash market, which is determined, to a large extent,
by availability and price of competing feeds. Nelson says feeders
will substitute the grain that is least expensive in terms of total
nutrient content when factors such as transportation and quality
are figured into the equation. The feeders work with nutritionists
who provide them with different combinations of ingredients, and
the feeders will then buy the product that meets nutritional requirements
at the lowest cost.
Malt barley
is generally sold under contract. These contracts often pay a premium
if the grain exceeds the specification for plumpness. For example,
in early 2000, Nelson said the premium for plumpness was $40 per
ton for six-row barley that exceeded the 70% plumpness specification.
At the same time, the premium for two-row was $25 per ton if it
met a 75% plump specification.
Barley has
a big market in Washington which is a feed deficient state. This
means that more feed is used in Washington than is grown in the
state. Nelson pointed out that the non-recourse government loan
which is available is a marketing alternative for barley producers.
GROWER
EXPERIENCES
Barley -
Mark Sheffels, Wilbur
Sheffels produces
almost entire barley on operations north of Wilbur and near Davenport
in Lincoln County. He does produce some recrop winter wheat. Sheffels
said barley works well at both locations, but especially at Davenport.
He said successful
no-till barley production starts with the combine. Good residue
spreading is essential, and he said the IH-Case machines he uses
have good straw choppers. He has equipped his machines with hydraulically
driven straw spreaders.
Sheffels harrows
heavy residue in the fall to spread it out. In the fall, if conditions
have been wet, he uses Roundup to keep the green bridge down, control
problem weeds and reduce root mass. Doing this helps with spring
weed control.
In the spring,
he sprays first, then harrows and sprays again if necessary. For
wild oat control, especially at the Davenport operation, he uses
FarGo and incorporates it with the harrow. He notes that rainfall
helps get the FarGo incorporated.
Sheffels uses
a high-disturbance drill and says this helps incorporate the FarGo
as well. The no-till drill is equipped with Anderson openers. He
says the conservation advantages of using no-till are incredible.
He has seed very significant reductions in soil erosion where no-till
has been used.
Shefflels says
his yields run between two and two and a half tons at the Davenport
operation, and usually between a ton and a half and two tons at
the Wilbur operation.
Before he began
using a direct-seed system, he used a three-year rotation of wheat/barley/summer
fallow. Now, his rotation is three spring barley crops followed
by recrop winter wheat. He recognizes the fact that continual use
of FarGo for wild oat control runs the risk of developing a herbicide
resistance problem. Because of this, he plans to start rotation
control products when he gets his wild oat problem under control.
He may also change the time of application. His worst wild oat problems
are on his recrop winter wheat.
Sheffels will
consider incorporating a spring wheat into his rotation. Economically,
he says a rotation of spring barley and spring wheat may be viable.
He reports
that his weed pressure is low, and he has been able to spot-spray
to control problems. Cheatgrass is a non-issue for him, he says.
Wild oats will be a major problem for a while. At the Wilbur operation,
Russian thistles are a problem on conservation terraces. Other weeds
which have required control are mayweed and dog fennel. He has also
seen increases in populations of prickly lettuce.
Cooperating
Agencies: Washington State University Cooperative Extension, United
States Department of Agriculture, Eastern Washington Counties. Cooperative
Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.
Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Cooperative
Extension office.
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