Best Spring barley variety

[Bossfarmer]

interested to see which variety everyones getting on best with

 

[Bossfarmer]

@Clive @chaffcutter @Barley grower @barleybaron @Chae1 @lexion man @Lexion540 @Lexion1000 @Cereallurker @Grain Buyer @grainboy @Speedstar

 

[Clive]

I don't grow spring cereals so cant really help

 

[Brisel]

What do you want it for? Feed? Malting? Marketability? Easy to grow?

I’d go with Laureate at the moment. Good yields this year. Domestic market.

Planet has a good export market down here and is a step on from Propino in terms of yield. Export is going to be tricky until Westminster sort a trade deal out with EU even though they like our barley.

 

[traineefarmer]

Voted Propino, but we also grow Laureate and will continue to do so.

Our Winter Barleys have been very disappointing this year, probably affected by the spring drought, but we are also questioning some agronomy choices. We had more or less written off the spring barley as it was turning white in the drought, but seemed to recover and milk up. But it still looked stunted and thin.

No yield monitor or weighbridge so can only give full trailer estimates, but our best WB did about 2 1/2 ton/ac the rest averaging about 2. The spring is now running at about 2 1/2 average with the best field bettering 3.

The Laureate did very well last year, but the Propino has survived the drought better and seems very reliable year on year.

 

[TheEarlOfMoray]

Laureate the best I’ve seen but apparently Diablo is going to be even better. Planning growing a field of it next year for seed the following year

 

[Jerry]

Sienna and propino here. Year sienna does better propino not so and visa-versa.

 

[Shughie McFee]

Doesn't make much difference, as far as I can see.

IT'S ALL DOWN TO THE WEATHER, AT SOWING AND AT HARVEST.

 

[Brisel]

There’s the small matter of the weather between the two as well...

 

[Chae1]

What do you want it for? Feed? Malting? Marketability? Easy to grow?

I’d go with Laureate at the moment. Good yields this year. Domestic market.

Planet has a good export market down here and is a step on from Propino in terms of yield. Export is going to be tricky until Westminster sort a trade deal out with EU even though they like our barley.

I was going to say its a stupid question.

Thats a far more diplomatic way of putting it!

 

[Devon James]

Sienna. Never let us down

 

[DrWazzock]

Westminster for feed and standing ability. Planet for malting. Suits us on light dry land anyway. Super varieties. Best thing that's happened in years.

 

[David.]

What dont people like about Irina, mines stood up ramrod straight.

 

[Clive]

Is barley worth growing ? Always seems worth no money ?

Itchy nasty stuff that falls over a lot as well ?

 

[Bossfarmer]

I was going to say its a stupid question.

Thats a far more diplomatic way of putting it!

For malting

 

[Beowulf]

Is barley worth growing ? Always seems worth no money ?

Itchy nasty stuff that falls over a lot as well ?

Depends where you are I suppose. A purely arable farm in the South of England? Probably not.

Up here in Scotland it's a different world. We don't have the climate for breadmaking wheats, and Group 3 milling is hardly worth growing for the measly premium even assuming you can get it in spec.

Spring barley is the main arable crop in Scotland, with more than half the arable land growing it in any given year. Good premiums for distilling-spec and the grain and straw are valuable in the livestock sector too. Spring barley is to Scotland what wheat is in the south.

 

[Bossfarmer]

Is barley worth growing ? Always seems worth no money ?

Itchy nasty stuff that falls over a lot as well ?

Spring barley is much higher yielding these days with much cheaper growing costs than wheat, can also get away without drying it if the weathers right

 

[Bossfarmer]

Planet seems to be walking this poll, whats better about it than laureate?

 

[Brisel]

What dont people like about Irina, mines stood up ramrod straight.

One one maltster on the continent wants it. Good heavy land variety and has done well around here too.

 

[neilo]

Very pleased with how my Planet was looking this year. Got a few patches down now though, after some local wildlife had a run around in it....

It was the local show's (boozy) lunch last Sunday, followed by various drinks parties around the town. Shocking behaviour (not me I hasten to add, that stuff's far too itchy).