Barley

The Journal of Molecular Biology and Evolution describes barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as “one of the founder crops of Old World agriculture” that was domesticated around 8,000 B.C.

In ancient Egypt, around 3,000 B.C., barley was ground into flour and baked into bread. In turn, dried bread was mixed with grain and water and fermented into beer.

Roman gladiators and seafaring Vikings also ate barley. And Christopher Columbus brought barley to the New World in 1493.

In present day Alberta, barley is an important building block in agriculture with significant and growing roles in feed, malt, food and bioproducts.

Growing alberta, describes barley as the “world’s most important crop for feeding livestock.” Barley is also to produce malt for beer and spirits. And it’s used in a wide variety of foods, both in Canada and around the world.

Each year Alberta farmers produce more than five million tonnes of barley, about half of Canada’s annual crop. Canada is the world’s second largest barley producer.