Barley producers should be aware of regulations surrounding glyphosate use in malting barley
Staff Writer
Farms.com
As barley harvest nears across the Prairies, malt barley producers must remember to follow all necessary regulations.
“We're trying to work hard as an industry to clearly get the message out to producers that glyphosate isn't supposed to be applied (to malting barley). There are other ways to achieve the goal that they're trying to reach, which is generally having an evenly mature crop at harvest,” said Peter Watts.
He is the managing director at the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) in Winnipeg.
Malting barley buyers will not accept grain treated with pre-harvest desiccants or glyphosate. The concern around using these products centres on the effects on the crop, said Watts.
“Glyphosate can have a negative impact on things like germination, kernel size and test weight that can have a negative impact on extract levels in the malt. ... If it's sprayed at the wrong time, it can (also) have a negative impact on yields,” Watts told Farms.com.
Companies that purchase malting barley understand glyphosate is a widely used in the ag industry, and acceptable levels of the product vary by country and company, said Watts.
“Companies have different internal levels that they are willing to accept, but these aren't always the same as the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for the country itself. So, (these companies) have expressed concern to us at the CMBTC about glyphosate levels in Canadian malting barley,” explained Watts.
If producers apply glyphosate or pre-harvest desiccants to their malt barley crops, buyers may not select the grain, said Watts.
“There's a big spread between feed and malting barley. So, if you're going to go to all the effort of growing the malting barley, of course you want to be selected. As an industry, we need to ensure that producers have the information and the tools they need to properly manage their malting barley during harvest,” he said.
Producers can speak to malting or grain companies to learn more about the regulations, but farmers have other options to help ensure an evenly matured crop, said Watts.
“Everything from seeding rates, seeding dates, swathing or picking the right variety (for your) area may have an impact,” he said. “There are also effective ways of drying malting barley after harvest without compromising the malt quality. So, producers can do a number of things to achieve that uniform maturity and retain malt quality without having to resort to some other options.”
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