• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

The University of Minnesota diversifies its barley program

December 3, 2015CBB Editorial Staff

Crisp Maltings barley harvest
One analysis suggests that by 1992, two thirds of the beer produced was from Minnesota barley varieties.

The University of Minnesota (UM) has played an integral part in the development of malting barley for over a century. In the early part of the 20th century, this land grant institution cooperated with USDA Division of Cereal and Disease scientists located in St. Paul and participated in the evaluation of germplasm for its adaptation to upper Midwest growing conditions. Much of this work was done by Dr. Harry Harlan who received his PhD from UM while working for the USDA.

The released varieties were mostly six-rows of the Manchurian type that did well in Minnesota but also included Trebi, which became a dominant six-row malting barley in the western United States and Alpha, a two-row variety that was popular in New York and New England. Malting barley received a big shot in the arm when UM hired Dr. Donald Rasmusson in 1961 as its first dedicated malting barley breeder. Dr. Rasmusson focused on high yielding, six-rowed malting varieties with good disease resistance. His program released eight varieties. Among these was Morex, which had improved malting quality, and Robust that had greatly increased yields. These two varieties set the standards by which to measure subsequent variety releases.

“Don was tuned in to what the brewing industry desired for quality and what the Midwest grower needed to attain that quality,” according to Dr. Michael Davis, president of the American Malting Barley Association. “He provided the industry with a number of successful barley varieties over the years.”

One analysis suggests that by 1992, two thirds of the beer produced was from Minnesota barley varieties. Dr. Rasmusson continued a very productive malting barley program until his retirement in 2001 with the releases of Excel, Stander and Lacey barleys. The development of these varieties was not just the work of a single breeder, but included pathologists, geneticists and agronomists.

The team at UM has a history of close coordination with a proven track record of releasing new malting varieties, but also plays a critical role in national barley programs like the US Barley Genome Project, US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, Barley Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) and the Triticeae CAP. Dr. Kevin Smith was added to the team in 1998 and worked with Dr. Rasmusson on the breeding project. Dr. Smith has initiated genomic selection in the UM barley program by incorporating many of the genetic tools refined in the national initiatives. Genomic selection augments traditional field testing and in many cases provides a more cost-effective and accurate way to follow the transfer of desired traits into new breeding lines. At the same time, he has expanded the program into the development of spring and winter two-rowed malting varieties.

Dr. Smith noted that: “The expansion is in response to recent changes in production trends, industry preference, climate and disease pressures, and it will give producers the most flexibility, and number of options, for growing barley in the region to provide high-quality grain for the industry. Our recent success with employing genomic selection in early generations of our breeding program has enabled us to re-distribute resources in order to broaden our breeding goals.”

Winter varieties can provide the grower with a yield boost in areas where they can overwinter and spread out the planting and harvesting work load, making them attractive rotational crops. Two-rowed varieties are accepted by all U.S. brewers and should provide a broader market for growers.

This piece was provided by the American Malting Barley Association. Why don’t you go visit them?

root-shoot-malting-award
Here are your 2020 Craft Malt Cup award winners
craft-malt-conference
10 craft breweries pair with 12 craft malting companies for special 2020 Craft Malt Conference collab beers
Brewing classic Belgian beer? BSG will distribute iconic Belgium malt brand Dingemans in 2020
The Craft Maltsters Guild releases its own Certified Craft Malt Seal

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. BSG Craftbrewing says

    December 4, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    BSG Craftbrewing liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  2. Serge Lubomudrov says

    December 3, 2015 at 7:36 pm

    Serge Lubomudrov liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  3. LVRGLLC says

    December 3, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    #CraftBeer #CraftBrewing #Beer #BeerBiz The University of Minnesota diversifies its barley program https://t.co/y7jrjMppBM

    Log in to Reply
  4. crsimp01 says

    December 3, 2015 at 5:37 pm

    The University of Minnesota diversifies its barley program https://t.co/kpwXk06i6k via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  5. Henrique De Luca says

    December 3, 2015 at 5:22 pm

    Henrique De Luca liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  6. Alx HB says

    December 3, 2015 at 5:22 pm

    Alx HB liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  7. Jeff Platt says

    December 3, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    Jeff Platt liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • INDEVCO Plastics debuts 50 percent postconsumer recycled shrink wrap for beverage packaging
  • Clean air, clean beer: New Ingersoll Rand oil-less reciprocating air compressors are ideal for breweries (aeration to canning)
  • Self-pour beverage dispenser iPourIt says new three-year warranty is the most comprehensive coverage in the industry
  • Non-alcoholic beer brand Athletic Brewing closes $17M+ in funding with famous backers, selects Craft ERP, eyes big growth

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Clean air, clean beer: New Ingersoll Rand oil-less reciprocating air compressors are ideal for breweries (aeration to canning)
    January 18, 2021
  • Non-alcoholic beer brand Athletic Brewing closes $17M+ in funding with famous backers, selects Craft ERP, eyes big growth
    January 18, 2021
  • Watch: This awareness video on human trafficking from beer wholesaler Markstein Sales will move you to action
    January 14, 2021
  • Distribution updates: Massachusetts brewers celebrate franchise reform, Yuengling goes to Texas with Molson Coors and more from Bell’s, Stone and beyond
    January 14, 2021
  • COVID19 coronavirus mask moneyWhy you need to maximize engagement during a pandemic
    January 13, 2021
  • How the Employee Retention Credit can help breweries that paid employees during the pandemic
    January 12, 2021

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2021 · CBB Media LLC

Continue ...

sponsored by