In a typical year, barley harvest is wrapped up by the first week of September. It’s unclear how long harvest will last this year, but Anheuser Busch Midwest Regional Agronomy Manager Nikki Zahradka-Bylin says the crop is two weeks behind. Quality of the crop is the big concern right now. “We’ve had a few fields spike up on ergot. We’re trying to keep an eye on that. Other fields are spiking with vomitoxin. That will be a big concern with the current weather pattern. Those are some of our fears.” Malt barley harvest is more than 30 percent complete for Anheuser Busch. Western North Dakota’s barley has good yields and quality, but moving east, yields and quality are starting to drop off. “Plumps are not as high as we’d like them to be, but within spec range and holding that way. We’re seeing more in the middle pan.” Hear the story.