Morice Land and Resource Management Plan
Malting and Feed Barley Production
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- Opportunity Analysis
- Location Analysis
- Market Analysis
- Recommendations to the LRMP Table
- Market Gardening
Malting and Feed Barley ProductionOverviewBarley  Malting barley is used in the brewing industry in the manufacture of beer. Feed barley is used in livestock feeds by preference over other grains because of its higher energy value. Barley for malting needs to be seeded early in order to benefit from soil moisture reserves and to be ready for harvest when the weather is hot and dry and there is no risk of frost or damp conditions. Malting barley must be free from frost damage, excess weathering, 13.5% moisture content as it cannot be artificially dried due to possible damage to the germ which is required in the formation of malt. Malting barley must also be free disease, insects and weed seeds and the samples must be consistent throughout.
About 13 m tonnes of barley is grown in Canada a year with about 1.3 m tonnes being exported as malting barley. The main Canadian barley growing areas are the Prairies and the BC Peace River. Almost 80% of the crop is seeded to malting varieties but due to weather most of the quality potential is lost and the main use of for feed. The beef feed lot industry with feed lots located close to the source of supply, i.e., the Prairies, uses most of the feed barley produced. There are no feed lots nearer than Alberta but the local imports of feed barley are estimated at 100-200 tonnes for the area west of Vanderhoof. Opportunity AnalysisThere is very little production of barley in the Morice LRMP area because of the relatively short season, except as green feed or silage. For malting purposes barley needs to be either seeded in October or March. In the Morice area, the risk of winter kill precludes fall seeding. Due to the lateness of spring breakup and the drying out of the land, it is usual for seeding to take place for any crops in April, in an early year, or more commonly in May. Malting barley needs to be seeded early in order to take advantage of moisture reserves, a long growing season and to be mature before poor damp fall conditions prevail. The result of late seeding is late harvest in poor weather conditions. In most years, any grain that is grown in the region has to be dried. Malting barley cannot be dried due to damage being caused to the germ thus lowering the malting value. It is unlikely that a grain of 13.5% moisture could be harvested in the typical fall weather conditions common in the area. Location AnalysisBarley, if produced for malting purposes, needs a deep loam with a pH of 6.5 or better. Typically, in areas of low pH lime is required to bring the pH up to an acceptable level. There are no lime deposits in the vicinity that have been developed. Industrial quantities of lime would have to be brought in from a considerable distance. The cost of the freight would eliminate the possibility of its use. A common problem in the area is the unevenness of the crop, which creates problems with harvesting. This is a typical result of the varying soil and moisture regimes. Weather records show that frosts can and do occur in any month of the year. Frost causes barley to go steely and be below the quality required for malting. In addition, relatively level fields are required to grow grain crops. The higher quality soils in the region are located on the North shore of Francois Lake but they have steep gradients, which can only be used for forage production with care. Market AnalysisBarley grown in the area for feed grain for similar reasons as above is thin and has a very low feed value. The custom has been for many years for cattle producers to bring barley in from the BC Peace River or Alberta where a higher protein and energy value grain is produced. The recent development of bagged silage has led to oats and barley being ensiled for cattle feed. This ensures a higher quality feed, which is not seriously affected by adverse weather conditions. No barley is exported out of the Morice LRMP area. Any barley that is grown is used by the grower for feeding to his own livestock. There is, therefore, no price for local barley. Recommendations to the LRMP TableThere is unlikely to be any impact on agricultural production by not growing barley for feed or malting because the primary crops are forage based and are used for hay or silage for home consumption. Because of the inclement weather conditions at harvest and the late spring seeding the risk of crop failure and or low quality precludes it as an option. Market GardeningOverviewMarket gardening is an intensive form of arable farming where perishable crops are grown with high labor requirements. The objective is to grow saleable crops for direct sale to consumers or to stores. Evenness of quality is essential for store sales and consistent supply is also necessary. Opportunity AnalysisMarket gardening, on a commercial scale has been tried a number of times in the northwest without commercial success. The barriers are summed up in the Morice Socio-Economic Base Case (June 2003), “Due to climate, soil and location factors, the Morice has not been successful in growing vegetables commercially. Relatively few frost free days, coupled with no class 1 or 2 soils and a scarcity of class 3 soils and long distances to [substantial] markets have prevented successful commercial vegetable growing (page 55).” Only 200,000 people live in all the area from Prince George to the Coast along Highway 16 including the Queen Charlotte Islands as compared to 250,000 in the upper Fraser Valley alone and 2.1 million in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Location AnalysisIt is important to recognize that there are significant climate, soil and topography limitations for crop production in the Morice and other parts of the Northwest. Also wholesalers want the full range of products, whereas in the Morice only cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes (in a few places) and turnips are the main crops. For any heat loving crops such as corn or tomatoes there are insufficient heat units and there is no agriculture Class 1 or 2 and very little Class 3 land, which is the minimum required for viable vegetable growing. Download 1.06 Mb. Share with your friends:
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