ND Barley Acres Hold Up Despite Drop in Beer Consumption

At the Prairie Grains Conference, North Dakota Barley Council board member Frank Laufer said growers are benefiting from crop rotation and increasing demand for pet food, “Acres are up about 22 percent for the year and that’s pretty good for our industry because beer’s actual consumption is actually kind of down, and most of the barley raised in North Dakota is for the brewing industry. There is a lot for pet food too, but most of it’s for the brewing industry.” Laufer also stressed the importance of keeping barley competitive in federal policy. “We still want to be one of the main small grains and not lose our face. And so the big thing is keeping the reference price of barley as its own, keeping barley on acres so that you don’t lose that.”