08/01/07 Barley groups host Japanese

Washington Ag August 1, 2007 For the second consecutive year a Japanese trade team is visiting the barley industry in the Pacific Northwest. The eight member team from the number one export market for U.S. barley is being hosted by the Washington and Idaho Barley Commissions and the U.S. Grains Council. During the group's visit Thursday and Friday the team will visit Columbia Grain, Primeland Cooperatives, and Gennesee Union Warehouse. They will also stop at Idaho Barley Commission Chairman Dan Mader's farm at Genesee. Mader says Japan is the largest buyer of Pacific Northwest feed barley and gets 80 percent of its barley from Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Mader: "They need barley badly for a special barley in Japan the Wagyu beef. Now our competitors are Canada and Australia and Canada had a poor crop last year. Right now we are in a position to sell them barley." Mader says the trade team visit is also an opportunity to discuss higher quality food barely. Mader: "Taking this barley and processing it to a very high level and cooking it and then drying it back down and mixing it in with rice trying to improve the overall diet of just straight rice." One Japanese company is already importing a small amount food barley on a trial basis. I'm Bob Hoff.