AMBA launches barley tracking effort as acreage hits record low

Craft brewers, take note: this is about your supply chain.

The American Malting Barley Association (AMBA) recently noted it has officially launched its Baselining Barley project — the first industry-wide collaboration aimed at quantifying the environmental impact of barley farming. This matters to brewers. Barley is more than an ingredient; it’s the backbone of beer, and right now production is at an all-time low. So the industry is working to ensure that backbone is strong, sustainable, and measurable. From AMBA’s news page:

“Mitigating our businesses’ contribution to a changing climate calls for close collaboration with experts across our value chain. Leveraging that expertise requires a shared understanding and a common language for the work ahead. The project AMBA is leading will provide just that, a clear, empirical understanding of where we are today, where our greatest opportunities exist, and a shared calculus for understanding the implications of different solutions.” — Walker Modic, Environmental Programs Director, New Belgium-Bell’s Brewing

What is Baselining Barley?

Baselining Barley is a data-driven project focused on calculating key environmental metrics like greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil health, water quality, and biodiversity — all from real farm records. Led by Neil Fuller of Atlas consulting, the project taps into actual field data from U.S. farms under contract with AMBA members. The goal: turn field activities (like planting and fertilizing) into actionable environmental insights, not assumptions. This project builds upon the Cool Farm Tool model, but goes further by tailoring it for malting barley and U.S. conditions. From the website:

“Getting data direct from farms is essential as it allows the project to showcase the incredible job U.S. barley farmers are doing, not only in producing top-quality grain, but in delivering a stack of environmental benefits that accompany that grain from soil to glass,” Fuller shared.

Why craft brewers should care

Even if you’re not directly sourcing barley, the findings from Baselining Barley affect the whole industry. Here’s how:

Scope 3 Emissions: The brewing sector is under increasing pressure to report on “upstream” emissions. This project provides the data.
Consumer Expectations: Eco-conscious drinkers are asking questions. Brewers need answers rooted in data, not marketing.
Export Competitiveness: Global buyers actually want sustainability metrics, and U.S. barley needs to keep up.

“The malting, brewing, and distilling industries are global businesses, and in order for U.S. barley to stay competitive, we must be able to articulate production metrics, including emissions as a result of crop production. Without this knowledge, and the ability to monitor and show the tremendous gains accomplished by the industry, our barley and barley malt will be passed over.” McFarland also noted, “although AMBA focuses on securing a domestic supply of barley for their industry end-users, we believe a healthy export market plays a critical role in ensuring that supply.”

2025 barley outlook: A new low

While sustainability gets a boost, production takes a hit. According to the USDA, barley acreage for the 2025 crop year will hit a record low of 2.32 million acres — a 2% drop from 2024. Montana, the top barley-producing state, expects an 11% decline. Other states like California, New York, and Washington also forecast historic lows. On the supply side:

Barley stocks as of March 1 are down 8% year-over-year.
On-farm stocks plunged 20%.
Usage (disappearance) dropped 54% over winter.

Craft brewers relying on domestic malt should keep a close eye on inventories and contracts.

When will the Baselining Barley data come out?

The pilot phase of Baselining Barley is focused on the 2024 crop year. Participating maltsters and brewer-maltsters will collect data from at least five representative farms each. From there, AMBA will build a model to track and improve sustainability efforts across the supply chain. Early results are expected by June 18, during the joint AMBA and National Barley Growers Association meeting in Golden, Colorado. This isn’t a one-off report. It’s the start of a continuous improvement loop for barley sustainability — with craft brewing along for the ride.

Shoutout to AMBA’s newsroom

AMBA’s website isn’t just for barley wonks. It’s a surprisingly solid resource for anyone interested in malt science and sustainability. Case in point: the recent paper “Tailoring Malt for Brewing and Distilling” by Yin Li and Harmonie Bettenhausen. It breaks down the differences between brewer’s malt, high-diastatic power distiller’s malt, and pot still malt — and why each matters in the brewhouse or distillery. It’s a quick read that helps brewers dial in process and product. You can check it out here.

Final wort

The Baselining Barley project puts a number to something we’ve all suspected: sustainability starts in the soil. For craft brewers, this initiative offers a way to trace environmental impact back to the grain — and build a better beer from the ground up. As barley acres shrink and environmental scrutiny grows, this kind of data will be useful.