Canadian barley

Description

The Canadian Grain Commission provides resources about Canadian barley that are related to the Canadian Grain Commission’s functions as defined under the Canada Grain Act. This includes information about Canadian barley classes and varieties, Canadian barley standards and grades and the results of scientific analysis of Canadian barley.

Biological classification of barley

Family: Poaceae
Species: Hordeum vulgare
Type: Cereal

Growing areas in Canada

Major growing areas: Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan
Other growing areas: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec

End uses for Canadian barley

Barley has a variety of end uses. Malting barley is used to make beverages like beer and whisky and is used as sweetener in a variety of foods. Barley is used to make noodles, breakfast cereals and instant baby formulas. It also used as feed for hogs, cattle and poultry.

Canadian barley and Canada Grain Regulations

Barley is one of the grains defined in Canada Grain Regulations – Section 5. This means that the Canadian Grain Commission establishes and maintains quality standards for barley. Also, this means that barley is one of the crops protected by security. If a licensed grain company refuses or fails to pay for a delivery of barley, the producer can make a claim against security.

Canadian barley classes and varieties

Under the Canada Grain Act, the Canadian Grain Commission has the authority to designate the class of grain for which new grain varieties are eligible. For each class of barley, we maintain a list of varieties that are eligible for that class in Canada.

Canadian barley standards and grades

The Canadian Grain Commission defines Canadian grain standards and assesses the grade of grains against these standards. The Grain Grading Guide contains all the standards for Canadian grain. Chapter 6 presents the standards for barley.

Standards Committees review these grading standards and recommend changes when necessary. The committees also select the standard samples of Canadian grain used each year.

Scientific analysis of Canadian barley crops

The Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory conducts scientific analysis of the quality of western Canadian malting barley and generates reports that offer information about each year’s crop. Export quality data is taken from samples collected from export shipments.