The American Malting Barley Association (AMBA) Board of Directors annually develops a list of recommended malting barley varieties for U.S. growers for the upcoming crop year. The list is intended to provide U.S. growers with guidance as to what varieties the industry may be contracting or purchasing in the coming year.
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There are two additions to the list for 2023;
CDC Fraser is a spring variety registered in Canada in 2016 and developed by Dr. Aaron Beattie at the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan. It offers high extract, enzyme, and grain yield with a good disease resistance package. CDC Fraser has quickly gained momentum in western Canada, often replacing AC Metcalfe acreage.
KWS Donau is a winter variety widely used in Austria and released by KWS Seeds. It is an early maturing variety with good yield, providing light-colored malts with favorable beta-glucan. KWS Donau possesses many of the same favorable attributes of its predecessor, KWS Wintmalt.
Varieties excluded from the 2023 list include Pinnacle and Charles – two varieties that have experienced significant decline in acreage over the past several years and are no longer considered recommended varieties to growers.
See the full list here.