Growing malt

[Braveheart]

Klause, we tried what you're suggesting a couple of years ago working with Richardsons and the variety CDC Meredith.

It was planned to meet some fall cash flow needs. It missed the timing because of so many resubmitted samples. The main issue was px. The sample (same sample) tested way higher in head office than the elevator.

After some phone calls to the malt trader and a little negotiation, it all moved.

The upside was it was the highest margin cereal crop for our farm that year even though yields were not great at around 70 bpa.

In retrospect, I felt we had to put too much sweat into turning the barley into the the cash it was intended to be.

[ado089]

Klause, when I do fertility recs for malt I plan for no more than 6" of rain, usually 5". Once you get the factory built for barley the N response drops off fast so you will leave some yield on the table but not as much as most would like to believe. That said if you grow more 14% pro wheat then 13% you're playing with fire if no matter what. Your high OM will be a challenge for keeping protein low. Build as much yield with P and K as you can and don't forget the S for malt. Unless you have base sats and micros on your soil test don't trust the K ppm as available. Years ago I was running an IP program with Canada Malt for a 6 row that was a little more forgiving. I don't recall the variety but it may be worth checking out...that is if you don't mind having barley as a weed for the next 5 years.

[Braveheart]

Ado, at what level does organic matter start becoming an issue for px for barley?

[freewheat]

Higher om soils areas, are usually offset by more rainfall and less heat, too though. Up here , it is hard enough to get wheat Px over 12.5 or 13, let alone having trouble with it in barley.

[freewheat]

... on soils with higher om than many areas have, I meant to say.

[tipsy]

Why bother with malt.. Malting industry is nothing more than a bunch of cherry picking gouging pos!! the godfather makes the malting industry look like an angle!

[blackpowder]

New crop contracts for $5.00 that's why.
Here anyways.

[mbdog]

black...you ever enter into malt production contract down there, and if so, are they picky on accepting? or do they try take production/work with producer?

[bgmb]

This is how the malt business works. Throw out a high bid in the winter early spring and get a bunch of acres contracted and seeded. Then come harvest if the price has dropped find every reason in the world not to take the contracted grain. Maybe they will even make you store it till march before rejecting it...

[bgmb]

Klause do not grow malt for cash flow, bad idea IMO. Oats or wheat wheat would be better.

[Klause]

thanks bgmb.


Trouble with wheat and oats is... We had off the combine Sept wheat contract, still have another load to ship now. Rest went last week.

Sept oats may go in March. Will buy back that contract and haul it south again.

In this area they took flax off the combine and canola... and peas... maybe that's all a guy can grow for fall cash flow.

[Hopperbin]

Klause my suggestion is grow without contract. And also watch planting intentions. We grow malt. But If pkentiful your contract may as well piss on it. Contract is nothing but a max price contract. Is what it is. Then again hopefully better than viterra oats this fall taken in hopefully 2015.