Canada: AC Metcalfe off Canada�s recommended malting barley varieties list

Canada’s annual recommended list of malting barley varieties is out, and one prominent name is off the list: AC Metcalfe, Real Agriculture reported on November 24.

Topping the list this year is AAC Connect, distributed by CANTERRA Seeds, and CDC Fraser, from SeCan. List veteran CDC Copeland and AAC Synergy round out the list of recommended varieties.

The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) compiles this list each year to indicate to producers the varieties that are in demand in the marketplace and those that have the greatest potential for contracting, selection, and movement.

CMBTC says that newer varieties with improved agronomics and disease resistance are helping to keep malting barley competitive with other crops in Canada, and that new varieties tend to be shorter and have significantly improved straw strength to decrease lodging risk, while still being easy to thresh and combine.