Albert Lea Seed House 2017 Farm Seed Catalog | Page 30

30 SMALL GRAINS

Small Grains Growing

By : Mac Ehrhardt
We are excited about oats , barley , wheat , and rye ! We know we can grow small grains ( believe it or not , there were 6.5 million acres of oats in Iowa in 1950 !). So it is all about growing the markets for small grains . Here are some specific developments that we believe will increase small grains markets , acres , and profits in the coming years :
Evaluating hybrid rye performance at the University of Minnesota Small Grains Performance Trial
Left to right : Jochum Wiersma , Small Grains Specialist University of Minnesota ; Dr . Stefan Bruns , Director of Cereals Division at KWS Germany ; Mac Ehrhardt and Matt Helgeson , Albert Lea Seed ; Claus Nymand , Regional Manager KWS
Grain Millers is buying oats and other small grains ! Grain Millers has made a commitment to purchase oats in the upper Midwest ( when they meet their quality specifications ). Other companies are interested in your small grain as well . Go to our website for a fairly complete list of potential buyers : https :// goo . gl / bjtlbb
Wal-Mart , Cargill , General Mills , and other big food companies need small grains to help them meet their sustainability objectives : https :// goo . gl / bWjG49
Oats ( and other small grains ) make you money ! Even if the oat crop itself is a break-even , the benefits of the rotation in reducing input costs and increasing yields actually net you more income over the span of the rotation . See this ISU research : https :// goo . gl / a3CGZi
The Practical Farmers of Iowa have been leading the charge on re-introducing small grains into farm rotations . Through a working group involving farmers , researchers , millers , and food companies , PFI is working to “ prime the pump ” for small grain production in Iowa to help large companies meet their sustainability objectives . https :// goo . gl / Ho4VuV
Small grains prevent erosion and improve water quality . Like it or not , all farms need to proactively address the water quality issue . Having small grains in your rotation is a great first step : https :// goo . gl / xHyCiq
Micro-breweries across the country want to buy locally-grown barley . Many new varieties of barley are being developed and released for this market : https :// goo . gl / VfDD
Winter barley is coming ! We are trying to produce 3 new winter barleys this winter and Dr . Kevin Smith at the U . of MN ( and others ) are working to breed winterhardy winter barleys that will work for the brewing industry and other uses . https :// goo . gl / RV3U4q
Hybrid winter rye is here ! Brasetto Hybrid Winter Rye is here , and it can yield 50-150 % more than common winter rye . The outstanding yield potential of this low-input crop will open up more acres for rye grain production for distillers and livestock feed . https :// goo . gl / y2C3af