01/09/06 Winter barley variety gets more tests

Darrell Wesenberg started the work at the Agricultural Research Service facility in Aberdeen and Don Obert followed him. Their work was on a two row winter malt barley, dubbed Charles and a decade after it started a some major US breweries are taking a very closer look at 'Charles.' OBERT "This is the first winter line that's ever made it through three years of testing and getting thumbs up all three years." Obert says this winter barley has produced impressive quantities of plump, heavy kernels, something the malting industry requires. 'Charles' would be planted in the fall in southern Idaho, harvested early the following summer. OBERT "The problem that you have with plump kernels in Idaho is typically if you get any kind of drought stress or heat stress and with the winters maturing early you hopefully can avoid a lot of the heat stress you have to worry about." This winter malt barley could give Idaho farmers another more profitable crop and a chance to beat the spring rush with a fall planting that will need less water. OBERT "Typically we're going to have to water it at least two times fewer then we would the spring types in the late summer when they would rather have water for the potatoes or the beets. The biggest thing though is just the fact that its malt quality." Up next, test runs by a couple of breweries who will make beer using the winter barley which is being grown right now. There is also potential for this new variety in the food industry, in cereals as one example. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott