BARLEY BOUNCES BACK
BY PETER WATTS
In contrast with the previous year, farmers across Western Canada produced an exceptional crop of malting barley in 2025. Strong yields, consistent quality and competitive pricing signals have drawn interest from major brewers and maltsters across multiple markets. The crop gives Canada a solid supply position as customers prepare their 2026 malting and brewing schedules.
Warm April weather and good soil moisture let farmers seed barley early across most of the Prairies. Dry conditions in May and June challenged crops in parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta and reduced yield expectations. However, timely rain in late July and early August improved conditions across a large portion of Western Canada. Barley filled well into maturity, and warm, dry weather through September allowed farmers to finish harvest with limited delays.
Statistics Canada reports that farmers seeded 6.1 million acres of barley in 2025. This is down from last year and below the long-term average. Even so, the crop is large. StatCan’s September estimate puts national yields at 68.5 bu/ac, and many expect final figures to exceed the 2016 record of 72.5. As of November 2025, production sat at 8.2 million tonnes and this number was expected to rise when final numbers were published in December.
Testing of harvest samples by the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) confirms strong quality across Western Canada. Results indicate the crop exhibits heavy, plump kernels, high germination and moderate protein levels. According to the Canadian Grain Commission, protein in malting barley averaged 11.9 per cent, down from 13.2 per cent in 2024. Both kernel and test weight remain high, and most samples meet malting selection requirements. As in most years, some regions reported pre-harvest sprout damage due to moist conditions in the run-up to harvest. Some regions experienced disease pressure including Fusarium head blight and black point, but overall disease issues appear limited.
The CMBTC continues to share these results through regular communication channels such as our Cultivate newsletter and the 2025 New Wheat Crop Report Webinars, which target market contacts in China, Japan, North America and South America. These updates focus on germination, plumpness, protein and yield in the 2025 crop. We also see particular interest in newer varieties as older ones are phased out, especially as companies plan for steady supply in future contracting years.
For farmers who have begun to plan their 2026 rotations, this is a good year to consider barley. We recognize that to grow malting barley requires careful planning and extra management. To support farmers who want details on production requirements, the CMBTC works with the western Canadian crop commissions to offer a series of webinars on seeding, production and harvest practices for malting barley.
If you plan to seed malting barley, we encourage you to refer to the CMBTC’s 2026–27 Recommended Barley Varieties List, released in November 2025. It includes varieties that are in demand in domestic and international markets and can support discussions you may have with seed suppliers, grain companies and maltsters about which varieties match your agronomic needs and production plans.
Both the Varieties List and the malting barley webinar series are available at cmbtc.com.
Peter Watts is the CMBTC managing director.
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