Barley was first domesticated over 10,000 years ago through the fertile crescent (Mesopotamia) and quickly became a staple for those who lived from that time to today. Here in Canada, barley was first brought over by European settlers and quickly became an international powerhouse. Although production is mainly concentrated in prairies, barley can be grown throughout most of the country. Canada is known globally for its excellent malting barley (used to produce beer), but it is also used for animal feed and human food.
On our farm in Saskatchewan, we have been growing barley for decades. Our goal each season is to grow barley that grades Canadian malt (called ‘Select’), which typically brings a higher price. It is always a balancing act to consider crop rotations, market prices and geopolitical circumstances; however, each year between 10% and 30% of our total cropped acres will be planted to barley.
What Makes Canadian Barley Special?
Canadian barley is famous around the world—and for good reason. Our unique prairie climate, with warm days and cool nights, helps barley develop a sweet, nutty flavor and plump, golden kernels. We’re proud to grow barley that’s recognized internationally for its excellence. Whether it’s used for malting, food, or animal feed, Canadian barley is known for its consistency and high quality.
Preparing the Land: Working with Nature
Barley farming starts long before seeds touch the soil. We work with the land—rotating crops to prevent disease, adding nutrients back into the soil, and keeping things healthy for years to come.
Instead of plowing the soil, we use minimal or zero tillage practices. This means leaving plant residue on the surface, protecting our prairie soil from wind and rain erosion. We test the soil, add only the nutrients our crops need, and try to leave the land better than we found it. It’s about balance, stewardship, and respect.
We use a tractor to pull an air seeder to plant the seeds at just the right depth. This ensures they get a good start. We also use top-quality seed varieties that produce high yields and barley that is packed with beta-glucan, a heart-healthy fiber.
Caring for the Crop: A Balancing Act
Once the barley is in the ground, it’s time for patience and vigilance. Farming on the prairies means watching the weather—too much rain or not enough, sudden frosts or heatwaves. Every season is different.
My brother scouts our fields regularly, checking for weeds, insects, and diseases. Protecting our crops is a balancing act: we use crop protection products only when necessary, always mindful of food safety and the environment.
It would be wonderful if we planted our crops and they would be able to grow without competition from weeds, fungus or insects, but that’s not the environment we live in. Depending on the season we may have large amounts of weed present that require control, each weed that stays in the field robs nutrients away from the barley plant, so we use herbicides to control these. Similarly, if the growing conditions are warm and moist, the possibility of disease increases, resulting in the need to use a fungicide. Control of insects is only necessary after negative insect populations pass certain thresholds. With all these control methods, we ensure we are abiding by the requirements set forth on the labels from the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency, which is a division of Health Canada.
Harvesting: When the Time is Right
After months of care, it’s finally time to harvest. Timing is everything—the barley has to be dry but not too dry, golden and plump with just the right moisture content. A good test is to push your thumbnail into a kernel of barley: if it indents, it’s likely still too moist to harvest.
Some farmers will use a swather to cut the barley and lay it in a row, which allows the crop to dry down evenly. The crop needs to be dry in order to prevent any spoilage. As with other field operations, how we harvest depends on equipment, labour and the weather forecast.
On our farm, we have decided to use straight-cut headers to harvest our barley. The straight-cut headers cut the barley and bring it directly into our combine (the machine that separates the seeds from the straw). Typically, this means we are harvesting barley a day or two earlier, but the seeds will have higher moisture content, requiring aeration fans or use of our grain dryer.
Storing the Barley
We invest heavily in on-farm grain storage. On our farm we aim to have enough grain bin capacity to store about 75% of our expected production. All of our grain bins are steel and connected to sensor technology that monitors the temperature and moisture in each bin. If the barley that we harvest is too high in moisture, we will use a grain dryer that slowly heats that grain in order to lower the moisture. If moisture content is close to 13.5%, we can always use large aeration fans connected to the grain bins to push air through the grain and dry it. Having these storage options reduces our risk of having the quality of our barley deteriorate. Another benefit of storing barley is that it allows us to market in other months when prices may be more favourable.
From Our Farm to Your Family
When you enjoy Canadian barley, you’re savoring the results of hard work, passion, and care from farmers like me. From our hands to yours, we’re proud to grow a crop that’s not just delicious and nutritious, but grown with respect for the land, the environment and future generations.
Next time you cook with barley—or enjoy a beer–you can know it was grown with pride right here on our Canadian prairies—by families who believe good food connects us all.
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