Fargo, North Dakota
May 21, 2007
Barley growers in North Dakota,
Idaho and Montana say price is the major factor influencing
their decision to plant barley. The finding was part of a
12-question survey of barley growers in the three states.
The survey was conducted by the Institute of Barley and Malt
Sciences (IBMS) at North
Dakota State University. The survey was produced by the
Idaho Barley Commission, North Dakota Barley Council, Montana
Wheat and Barley Committee and IBMS. The survey was sent to
5,000 barley growers in the three states with the help of the
North Dakota field office of the National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NDASS).
The 12 questions on the survey covered topics such as yield,
acreage, transportation, information sources, farming practices,
grower support system effectiveness, grower satisfaction levels
and factors influencing the decision to produce barley.
Rotation, diseases and yield also were listed by growers as
important in their decision to grow barley. Barley typically was
ranked as a third crop for most operations. Producers frequently
cited price, variety, and planting and harvest times as reasons
to produce barley.
Another important objective of the survey was to pinpoint
effective education and outreach methods. Growers in Idaho and
Montana indicated a need for information on irrigation practices
and variety performance. Growers in North Dakota indicated a
need for information on insurance and risk management and
variety performance. Print media, industry agronomists, contract
meetings and NDSU Extension Service offices often were listed as
good sources for disseminating information.
The 1,200 growers who returned the survey forms by the deadline
were entered into a prize drawing. Twelve growers from Idaho, 20
from Montana and 28 from North Dakota were chosen as winners in
a random drawing and notified by mail in February.
Prizes were provided by the American Malting Barley Association,
Anheuser-Busch, Cargill Malt, Molson-Coors Brewing, Rahr Malting
Co. and International Malting Co., a division of Archer Daniels
Midland Co. NDASS also conducted about 200 follow-up phone
interviews. A total of 1,408 responses were received and
analyzed. |
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