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| AgKnowledge » Number 90 |
| Barley: Making a Good Grain Better |
 f you ask college students what comes to
mind when they hear the word “barley,” chances
are they’ll brighten and say “beer!” True,
some barley gets malted. People over age 30 might say
“soup” or “one of those eight grains in my
multi-grain bread,” but basically, barley is
underappreciated in the U.S.Idaho is the nation’s third, and sometimes second, largest producer of barley. Coors Brewing Company moved its breeding and research program from Colorado to Idaho (near Burley) about a decade ago. C. T. Liu, director of the University of Idaho Barley Variety Enhancement Program, works to develop superior varieties of malting, food, and animal feed barley adapted to the environmental conditions and crop-ping systems in Idaho. And he tire-lessly extols barley’s characteristics. “Barley is a tough crop. It doesn’t have to have good soil or fertilizer. It can grow where |
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| other grains don’t do well—in
harsh, dry, high conditions.” Frank Johnson, who farms near Clarkston, Washington, and Liu met at a barley research meeting sponsored by Idaho, Washington, and Oregon barley commissions. “The PNW barley commissions, through their support of research, are doing a bang-up job of improving barley,” said Johnson. “Used to, dairymen would say they had to go to Montana to get plump barley, but now Idaho, Washington, and Oregon raise barley just as plump as Montana barley.” Most of the U.S. barley crop is used for animal feed. In contrast, this humble grain—domesticated at the dawn of agriculture—is the main food of Tibet and consumed more often in other countries than the U.S. Barley’s uses take many forms: miso soup is delicate while beef and barley soup is two-fisted; roasted barley makes a nutritious tea; sprouted and roasted, it’s an ingredient in beer; fermented, an aromatic wine; barley flakes make a good hot cereal; the freeze-dried juice of young plants is a diet supplement. “The market for human consumption of barley is improving and will continue to improve,” said Johnson, “but only gradually, as Americans become more aware of barley’s uses and benefits.” “C. T.’s job is to look all over the world for varieties of barley that have attributes that suit them to Idaho conditions,” said Dick Heimsch, director of UI’s Agriculture Experiment Station, “and thus have the potential for commercial success.” In 1992, Liu introduced hulless waxy barley. Because this variety threshes free from the hull, it takes less room to store and transport. Moreover, its nutritional value is higher. In Japan, waxy hulless barley is mixed with rice and eaten as a hot grain. In 1998, Liu introduced Camas to regional farmers, a variety from North Dakota—the nation’s leading producer of barley—that didn’t do well there, but does do well here. “Plant breeding,” said Bob Dwelle, chair of UI’s plant science division, “is not only a science, but an art, and C. T. has a special talent for the art of plant breeding. He has a good eye for the potential of a new variety.” In recognition of Liu’s contributions, the Idaho Barley Commission awarded him their outstanding service award in 1998. David Lineback, former dean of the UI College of Agriculture, stated that Liu’s work in barley, with development of new varieties, is of great value to the college and state. For more information, call (208) 885-6681. |
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| News » AgKnowledge » Number 90 |
