USA: Montana�s 2004 malting barley sales increased by 33% year-on-year

Malt makers and brewers bought 19.7 million bushels (429 thousand metric tonnes) of Montana's 2004 barley crop for malt, up 33 % from 2003, a recent survey by the Montana field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service shows, The Billings Gazette posted on October 9.

Montana growers seeded 1 million acres of barley in 2004, down 150,000 acres from 2003. Of that total, more than 700,000 acres were seeded to malting type varieties, the survey says. Barley used for malt made up about 40 % of the 2004 barley crop, compared with 43 and 24 % in 2003 and 2002, respectively.

Harrington was the most frequently bought variety of barley by malt-makers and brewers, representing 35 % of total purchases. Anheuser-Busch varieties were second at 27 %.

In 2004, 52 % of all malt barley purchased was grown in north-central Montana, compared with 60 % in 2003. South-central Montana growers produced 18 % of the total crop in 2004.