What is Feed barley?
Among cool-season cereals, barley is known for its short growing period and relative drought tolerance. For feed barley, grain yield and test weight come first; for malting barley, criteria required by the malting industry, such as suitable protein content, kernel plumpness and germination quality, are decisive.
Depending on the region, barley can be sown as a winter or spring crop. After a winter barley harvest, maize can also be grown in the same field as a second crop.
Why does it matter when choosing seed?
Whether barley is grown for feed or for malting determines the choice of variety and crop management, especially nitrogen fertilisation.
Related terms
Main-crop and second-crop sowing
Main-crop sowing is spring sowing of the field’s principal crop for the season; second-crop sowing takes place in the same year after another crop, usually a cereal, has been harvested.
Test weight (hectolitre weight)
Test weight, or hectolitre weight, is the weight in kilograms of grain filling a 100-litre volume (kg/hl) and indicates grain density.