USA: Montana barley harvest looks very good

North central Montana barley growers have produced a very good crop, according to barley procurement and by product manager Mark Black of the International Malting Company in Great Fallsm, The Prairie Star reported on September 1.

Some barley producers in the upper north part of central Montana had difficulties when harvesting their barley crop due to adverse weather conditions. Black said the crop still looks good in that area, despite the delayed harvest. "The quality of the barley that has been cut this year has been really good," he concluded. Sixty percent of 2005 Montana barley crop has been ranked as being in good and excellent condition, compared to last year's 53 percent, according to the Montana Ag Statistics Service in Helena.

As of end of August, only 53 percent of the crop had been harvested, which is still ahead of last year's 40 percent and equal to the five-year average, but not as far along as many farmers would liked to have seen it, according to Cut Bank producer Dave Henderson, whose crop harvest has been delayed by multiple rain showers.

Dan Kidd, Big Sandy barley farmer and National Barley Growers Association representative said most early indications of the state's barley crop have been positive, though that wasn't exactly the case in the Big Sandy area. "It's been fairly dry here and east of here," he said. "The heat and dryness has taken its toll on the crop. Our crop had high protein, and the thins were high, too." Dry land barley farmers have had a struggle in making malt this year, especially when July was hot and dry. "The dry land barley didn't finish real well," said Kidd.

Malting barley had a small amount of acreage this year in Montana. Kidd said he hoped the malt barley acreage will expand throughout the Golden Triangle over time. "I'm optimistic about the barley in Sunburst, Mont., making malt this year," he said. "Not all the tests are back and the rain has delayed things, but I'm optimistic. You never know until you get it all in the bin."

Wyoming barley producers are as well optimistic about their crops this year. " As of end of August, 85 percent of the Wyoming barley crop had matured, which is behind last year by four points, but its harvest was ahead of last year at 72 percent complete, according to the Wyoming Agriculture Statistics Service.

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