Barley County AB Barely Commission Sept 2011

[wd9]

Wilagro, good luck growing canola without R blackleg resistance, your mammy and pappy got away with it, today your westar would yield about 1 bushel an acre.

Let alone clubroot, alternaria, sclerotinia and on and on.

[charliep]

A quote and article from today's emalt that relate to the topic.

Quote: “Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.”
Jamie Paolinetti

Article from emalt.

World: Barley acreage falls to lowest level in more than 50 years

The global harvested acreage for barley has fallen to its lowest level in more than 50 years and now only amounts to 50 mln ha, Toepfer International said in a report last month.

In 2003, it was still 59 mln ha, in 1990 it was 73 mln ha and the record high was in 1979 at 84 mln ha. The reasons for this development are complex. However, some of the reasons are certainly lower gross margins and less robustness in comparison to wheat, the discontinuation of intervention purchases in the EU and the increasing importance of corn. It is true that, in 2011/12, global barley production, at 132 mln tonnes, is expected to be higher than the previous year’s figure of 124 mln tonnes. However, this is not expected to cover this year’s demand.

The supply situation remains relatively tight. According to the USDA, stocks are expected to fall to 22 (previous year: 26) mln tonnes. This would be equivalent to an ending stocks-to-use ratio of 16.1 (18.9)%, a figure which is significantly below average.

[parsley]

Charliep, Those who feel strongly about feeding
the poor of world should sell their SUV's,
cottages and shares; buy a wood stove,a tent, a
hoe and a coal oil lamp,and send the remaining
money and AeroPlan points to Save the Starving
do-gooders. Pars

[checking]

Some folks are not so much as worried about feeding the poor people of the world as keeping them liqoured up with new malts. A swilled combatant tends to either fall asleep at his post, or aims poorly.

[charliep]

Parsley

Never read that into the report. The idea I see is that barley is loosing its competitiveness relative to other cropping alternatives - impact lower acres. Price can take care of lower productivity to some extent but in most markets, doesn't matter. Feed is feed. Energy and protein are energy and protein.

Relative to other crops alternatives in western Canada, is barley gaining or loosing in terms of profitability? Is that something farmers in western Canada should be concerned about?

[charliep]

The question in my mind is how western Canada finances and carries research and development including plant breeding. Lots of models around the world. Australia (GRDC/plant breeding centers), Europe, North America (wheat and barley), north America (corn, soybeans, canola), Ukraine, Russia, China, India, etc. Each has there own approach.

The change in western Canada has been the move from public breeding/R&D to a hybrid of public and private.

Back at you. What is the R&D model that western Canada should be following? Specific to organics, is USDA doing the right thing in investing R&D dollars into this industry?

[Braveheart]

Charlie, I can relate to your concern with barley. When my dad farmed malt barley was the most profitable crop he grew. These were of course pre canola days. But, those old varieties would yield, hold quality, etc.

Now in my time, I have poorer yields. Acceptance for malt is literally a shell game. Fusarium is rampant. The varieties just don't seem to have vigour.

I spoke to a breeder about my concerns. His take was that the CWB system had not allowed the proper price signals to come through and that had left many stakeholders reluctant to invest in barley. He meant all the way down the value chain.

[wd9]

Agree with you Braveheart. Same concerns.