Malting Barley 2023 (Scotland) my thoughts!

[beltbreaker]

High N's, High screenings, High skinnings.

Of the stuff which ha been cut already this seems to be the picture countrywide, from the Borders to The Highlands. There are a lot of disenchanted farmers out there already keep an eye on your neighbours have a chat! The price discrepancy between feed and distilling quality has never been bigger.

On a positive note at below 1.85 it's exportable and some companies are already looking at this.

There is a shortage of distilling quality malting barley so it's time to move the goal posts

Land which normally produces 1.3-1.4%N is producing 1.7's here abouts. 1 intake in Central has an average of 1.72%.

If it's higher N pressurise your buyer to push for a higher N level 1.8-1.85 seems reasonable and has been done before.

Skinnings bad and a lot loose on the grain so if it's 2nd growth spray with Roundup now as it will only get worse! Time to up the limit to 10% at least.

Screenings are what they are, dress them out if you can! Time for distillers to up.limits on that too.

A lot of contracts would have been fixed today at the lowest price since the Ukraine war started and using the most expensive fert!

 

[Farmer Fin]

I’m sure they will move the goal posts to get the supply. It’s at what level the deductions will be that’s the question!

 

[Flat 10]

High N's, High screenings, High skinnings.

Of the stuff which ha been cut already this seems to be the picture countrywide, from the Borders to The Highlands. There are a lot of disenchanted farmers out there already keep an eye on your neighbours have a chat! The price discrepancy between feed and distilling quality has never been bigger.

On a positive note at below 1.85 it's exportable and some companies are already looking at this.

There is a shortage of distilling quality malting barley so it's time to move the goal posts

Land which normally produces 1.3-1.4%N is producing 1.7's here abouts. 1 intake in Central has an average of 1.72%.

If it's higher N pressurise your buyer to push for a higher N level 1.8-1.85 seems reasonable and has been done before.

Skinnings bad and a lot loose on the grain so if it's 2nd growth spray with Roundup now as it will only get worse! Time to up the limit to 10% at least.

Screenings are what they are, dress them out if you can! Time for distillers to up.limits on that too.

A lot of contracts would have been fixed today at the lowest price since the Ukraine war started and using the most expensive fert!

Sorry it's so shite up there! makes (all ) the good stuff down south worth more then surely?!?!?

 

[Farmer Fin]

Sorry it's so shite up there! makes (all ) the good stuff down south worth more then surely?!?!?

This is what I have to contend with. Don’t normally bother with liquid sunshine but when do I spray this?

 

[Woody j]

I would spray that now it will take at least two weeks before you harvest it

 

[Farmer Fin]

I would spray that now it will take at least two weeks before you harvest it

Yeh it’s tomorrows job.

 

[Dave6170]

This is what I have to contend with. Don’t normally bother with liquid sunshine but when do I spray this?
View attachment 1130672

What caused the greens this year? Dry then wet? Barley and oats here with a lot of greens in them

 

[Farmer Fin]

What caused the greens this year? Dry then wet? Barley and oats here with a lot of greens in them

It was so hot and dry that it didn’t bother to tiller then the rain came and it decided it was then a good time to tiller. Probably didn’t help that everything was 2-3 weeks later in being sown than normal.

 

[Dave6170]

It was so hot and dry that it didn’t bother to tiller then the rain came and it decided it was then a good time to tiller. Probably didn’t help that everything was 2-3 weeks later in being sown than normal.

When we were at the spraying in the drought we thought some tillers were sacrificed, never thought they would come back.

 

[Woody j]

Yeh it’s tomorrows job.

3l/ha of 360 will do a good job.

 

[TheEarlOfMoray]

No problems here with high N. Have three maltings on the doorstep so it’s all we’ve ever grown really except some rape for rotation. Hardly ever failed to make the 1.65n limit. Cut our poorest land last week and expected higher N but it was 1.45. Maybe some folk further south who are used to growing wheat or whatever are just lashing on far too much N to try and get yield but you only need 80 units really.

 

[beltbreaker]

No problems here with high N. Have three maltings on the doorstep so it’s all we’ve ever grown really except some rape for rotation. Hardly ever failed to make the 1.65n limit. Cut our poorest land last week and expected higher N but it was 1.45. Maybe some folk further south who are used to growing wheat or whatever are just lashing on far too much N to try and get yield but you only need 80 units really.

Sounds like you are in a lucky corner. I take it you don't have animals or bother with cover crops? Dry weather followed by rain has put N to head, boys who are normally low N struggling to get under 1.65, its throughout Scotland. Constant wet and dry making skinning bad and 2nd growth making a rubbish of screenings. I haven't cut anything yet but those who have no happy locally. With animals I suspect I will have some quite magnificent figures but at least wont have to buy feed...

 

[TheEarlOfMoray]

Y

Sounds like you are in a lucky corner. I take it you don't have animals or bother with cover crops? Dry weather followed by rain has put N to head, boys who are normally low N struggling to get under 1.65, its throughout Scotland. Constant wet and dry making skinning bad and 2nd growth making a rubbish of screenings. I haven't cut anything yet but those who have no happy locally. With animals I suspect I will have some quite magnificent figures but at least wont have to buy feed...

aye we use a lot of dung, mixed farm so grass in rotation also. Admittedly we have some second growth in later sown stuff but hopefully roundup will sort it out. Think it was just the stage it was at when we had the heatwave in June.

 

[Barleybob]

I was speaking to a friend who is quality analyst for one of the large maltsters and the current chatter is that they won’t be moving specs any time soon.

 

[Chae1]

I was speaking to a friend who is quality analyst for one of the large maltsters and the current chatter is that they won’t be moving specs any time soon.

They already have.

 

[Barleybob]

They already have.

Would love to know who because since when has a distiller even be proactive and on the ball.
You’ll probably find its merchants taking it on the hope that the distiller will adjust the spec.
You just new to listen to Andrew adewings podcast where he talk about having “Jesus bins” that he hopes will be acceptable.

If European crops are as good as are claimed will see some distillers import, my guess is mostly French barley.
Why would they take poor quality Scottish Barley when they can buy cheaper quality European crops.

 

[Woody j]

Would love to know who because since when has a distiller even be proactive and on the ball.
You’ll probably find its merchants taking it on the hope that the distiller will adjust the spec.
You just new to listen to Andrew adewings podcast where he talk about having “Jesus bins” that he hopes will be acceptable.

If European crops are as good as are claimed will see some distillers import, my guess is mostly French barley.
Why would they take poor quality Scottish Barley when they can buy cheaper quality European crops.

European crops aren’t that great either

 

[Barleybob]

European crops aren’t that great either

Yes maybe Scandi isn’t great but French isn’t bad from what I hear and with the Chinese stopping the 80% import tax on Aussie they aren’t going to buy French like last year.

Watch this space, the large European maltster will happily buy European and with their plants in mainland Europe you might even see malt brought in never mind barley. Not a good thing for the Scottish farmer.

I wouldn’t be so excited about them moving specs when has the masters ever backed the farmer.

 

[Farmer Fin]

Yes maybe Scandi isn’t great but French isn’t bad from what I hear and with the Chinese stopping the 80% import tax on Aussie they aren’t going to buy French like last year.

Watch this space, the large European maltster will happily buy European and with their plants in mainland Europe you might even see malt brought in never mind barley. Not a good thing for the Scottish farmer.

I wouldn’t be so excited about them moving specs when has the masters ever backed the farmer.

Europe is short of barley.

 

[Encal]

Yes maybe Scandi isn’t great but French isn’t bad from what I hear and with the Chinese stopping the 80% import tax on Aussie they aren’t going to buy French like last year.

Watch this space, the large European maltster will happily buy European and with their plants in mainland Europe you might even see malt brought in never mind barley. Not a good thing for the Scottish farmer.

I wouldn’t be so excited about them moving specs when has the masters ever backed the farmer.

Maltsters have already eased specs as they’ve seen mainland European quality isn’t ideal. Germans have started to buy some French barley for the first time in years and the Poles are now assessing the situation too. So I wouldn’t count on any significant import campaign.

Also add in that Scottish malting demand is circa 50-80k higher than it was last year while stocks held by maltsters are still well down on recent years.