North America: US barley plantings expected to drop by 1%, Canadian slightly up

Heavy rains across the US Midwest are impacting corn and soybean planting but are at the same time not providing moisture relief to the key barley producing regions, but the heavy, wet snow fell in Alberta during the first week of April, RMI Analytics said in their latest report.

The USDA issued an estimate for 2023 barley plantings in the US, and while most states are increasing, the exception is North Dakota, at -18%. Total US barley plantings are forecast to decrease by 1% this year.

Estimates for Canadian barley area are up slightly in 2023, but faced with increasing pressure from canola production as domestic crush capacity expands (some forecasts call for a doubling in 3-5 years). As crop rotations are expected to remain mostly similar, malting barley has a challenge ahead to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly tightening landscape for grains and special crops, versus canola.