Barley

Abstract

Barley production in Missouri usually increases following a drought. Livestock producers need feed if corn supplies are low or need pasture if grass is not recovered. As a feed grain, barley is considered to have 95 percent of the feed value of corn. Barley acreage has not been estimated by the Crop Reporting Service since 1977, but estimates range from 5,000 to 20,000 acres each year. Barley is used in the malting industry as well as for livestock feed. However, attempts to produce barley for malting in Missouri have failed because malting barley requires bright sunshine with little disease during grain filling - a condition most often found in more arid regions of the United States.