A new hulless food barley variety dubbed “black caviar” is now available for seed companies to license. Produced by a breeder at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Brandon Research and Development Centre, the currently unnamed HB23150 will be available to farmers in two to three years once it is licensed, registered and propogated.

There’s an old saying: A garden of purple is always in bloom. A new barley variety promises one loaded with anthocyanins, a natural pigment with antioxidant properties linked to lowering the risk of diseases such as hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and cancer.