USA& Canada: Analysts about barley crop estimates

Spring and early summer had nourished the hope for a large barley crop of good quality. A heat wave and untimely rains at harvest time, have reduced crops to average quantities and variable qualities. Analysts see the crop estimates of Canada Statistics as a disappointment, as it had been expected to show a crop of at least last year's size.

Harvest is far advanced in the U.S., and there are local problems of protein, plumpness, yields, and sprouting.

Idaho with a barley crop estimate of 1,222,000 tonnes seems to be the best barley state this year, Montana with 978,000 tonnes reports more frequent quality problems, but the Midwest, viz. North Dakota with 1,452,000 tonnes, is worst off with fusarium, sprouted grains, only a small part of the crop will be selected for malting. Most U.S. brewers and maltsters are quite relaxed anyway, because they carry very large stocks of old crop barley, their needs for barley of crop 2005 are small.

Canada: Manitoba with an estimate of 793 000 tones is in a similar situation as North Dakota. In the other two western provinces, Saskatchewan (5,454,000 tonnes) and Alberta(5,258,000 tonnes) harvest started with very good results, but now rains interrupted combining, and there is concern that part of the crop in Saskatchewan will be weather-damaged. It will take time, before final results are clear.

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