04/26/05 Testing barley for fractionation plant

At the University of Idaho`s Research and Extension Center at Parma, crop management specialist Brad Brown is evaluating winter and spring barley that Idaho growers may be selling next year to a new "fractionation" plant near Ontario, Oregon. Fractionation plants separate fiber, starch and protein from grain kernels and market these components. Treasure Valley Renewable Resources could begin plant construction later this year and that's why Brown has spent the past two years looking for barley varieties that would be advantageous to TVRR. BROWN "They would like a barley for example that was high in food grade starch and soluble fibers such as beta glucans. They might extract the protein and use that primarily for the aquaculture industry." The plant`s capacity should allow purchase of eight million bushels of barley, three and 1/2 million bushels of wheat and three million bushels of corn. BROWN "If this facility were successful and they contracted for significant barley then I think that may change complexion of small grains in our area." Greater productivity is especially important for some of the new varieties Brown is testing because the qualities they offer can come at the price of lower yields. Hulless varieties typically yield 10 to 20 percent less than hulled varieties. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott