Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) plans to help farmers capitalize on expanding opportunities for barley with targets outlined in new funding agreements for the Barley Check-off.

Western Canadian farmers have long grown barley for feed or malt. But today the malting barley market is expanding and the feedgrain environment is getting more sophisticated, both of which are diversifying and increasing the demands on barley varieties. In addition, growing recognition of barley's unique and powerful human health benefits are launching food and nutraceutical opportunities, and the list of new uses for barley components is increasing every year.

"There are some great new market opportunities for barley," says Dr. Keith Degenhardt, a Hughenden, Alta., producer and Chair of WGRF. "We want to go after these while still looking after today's needs and strengthening our traditional markets. If you look where the dollars are going in the new agreements, I think you'll see our producer board members and advisors have come up with a pretty balanced approach to do that."

Barley Check-off investment has been guided by 10-year wheat breeding agreements implemented during the 1993/94 crop year. The agreements outlined how farmers' Check-off investment was to be handled, including the dollars invested in breeding for particular barley classes and for particular improvements. They also included provisions to ensure accountability and more broadly protect the interests of farmers as investors in the research. The new agreements launched during 2005 extend that framework with an updated outlook.

"The new barley agreements pave the way for a new generation of varieties that perform better in the field and deliver higher quality for an expanded number of market options," says Degenhardt.

It can take from eight to 12 years to develop a new variety of barley, with malting barley typically requiring several more years of evaluation than feed barley. Each year of the process needs consistent funding.

"Because the Barley Check-off is just 10 years old, the main varieties resulting from this investment have only begun to emerge," says Degenhardt. "But several of these are already well accepted by producers and are among the acreage leaders."

Under the new agreements, 48 percent of annual Barley Check-off Fund investment goes toward breeding programs for two-row malting barley varieties, 22 percent to two-row feed barley, 10 percent to hulless food barley, nine percent to six-row malting barley, eight percent to hulless feed barley and three percent to forage barley.

Arguably the most exciting new area in barley research these days is food barley, observes Degenhardt. Researchers have learned in recent years that barley features unique health-boosting components that make the grain a particularly beneficial dietary component for humans. Most notably, barley contains beta-glucan, exceptionally high in fibre, and tocopherols, which provide health benefits such as a reduction in serum cholesterol.

"Hulless barley is key to tapping barley's food market potential since the food industry is better-equipped to handle so-called naked grains. Some of the early hulless food barley varieties developed with Check-off support have already been tested or used for products from breakfast cereals and tortillas to nutritional supplements."

This November edition of WGRF's Industry Report newsletter, now available at www.westerngrains.com, is a farmers' guide to the new barley breeding agreements. It covers the funding allocations, breeding targets and key provisions.