2023 BARLEY HARVEST SUMMARY
By Tyler SchoalesCountry Malt Group (CMG) is proud to be part of the United Malt global family of brands, which includes Canada Malting Co. and Great Western Malting. Together, they have centuries of combined malting and craft beverage expertise, as well as multi-generational relationships with North American barley farming families.
Like all agricultural products, barley is subject to unpredictable environmental changes such as weather, and soil conditions. Barley farmers work tirelessly to combat the variable impacts of these elements, while skilled maltsters use their knowledge and craft to refine their recipes and guarantee a high-quality end-product for brewers and distillers.
Country Malt Group works closely alongside the grain and production teams of Canada Malting Co. and Great Western Malting to ensure a steady supply of the quality malt ingredients you need for your craft.
With this, CMG is bringing you a brief overview of the North American Barley Harvest Summary for the 2023 crop year!
CANADA
- Quality in some regions labeled as good and other regions labeled as below average, with production of 8.5 MMT (2023) vs. 10 MMT (2022).
- Due to drought conditions experienced throughout the growing season in some major growing regions, barley production yield is down
- Untimely rains at harvest prompted elevated levels of pre-germinated barley, which will need to be taken into consideration during malt production in order to ensure consistent quality.
UNITED STATES
- Overall quality labeled as average to good this year, with production of 4.0 MMT (2023) vs. 3.8 MMT (2022).
- Early soil moisture and timely rains positively impacted barley production and yield in major growing regions.
- Like in the Canadian region, untimely rains at harvest also prompted some pre-germinated barley, which will need to be considered during malt production to ensure quality.
While weather systems have impacted some of the 2023 North American barley crop this year, there’s still an ample selection and volume of good quality malting barley. Now, it’s up to maltsters to select accordingly and flex their malting expertise to ensure quality malt streams for brewers and distillers.
Malting barley is one of the most complex crops in the agriculture industry, requiring great care, hard labor, and a special craft. We as maltsters and brewers benefit from the long-term relationships we have with our farmers as malting barley requires dedication above many other field crops. We raise a glass to the farmers for a successful harvest, knowing that the best beers and spirits begin with the best barley! We look forward to the 2023 barley crop making its way from grain to glass.
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