b"MALT BARLEY MAPBetter Malt, Better BarleyA new interactive map is encouraging farmers to grow new barley varieties. HAVE YOU CHECKEDout Alberta Grains Better Malt, Better Barley interactive online variety map? Now online for just over two years, the map allows farmers one click access to localized variety trial data showcasing older and newer malt barley varieties at locations around the province. This map is important because it gives producers an idea of how some of these varieties perform in their region. Its a snapshot of a varietys expected response based on a regions specific soil type and environmental conditions, says Jeremy Boychyn, director of agronomy and extension for Alberta Grains. There's CDC Copeland and AC Metcalfe in there, but there's also CDC Copper and CDC Fraser, among others. The hope is that producers can see a variety that might potentially work in their region and might also have good potential in the malt barley industry. If we can find alignment between those two pieces, theres much more potential for uptake of that variety and value to the market.The map allows a user to click first on a location, then on a specific variety to see photos, videos and malt barley quality information including overall yield, height, lodging resistance, maturity rating days, and susceptibility and resistance to common barley diseases. The data comes from the Canadian Malt Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) trials grown in locations across Alberta, including Westlock, St. Albert, Castor, Neapolis, Hanna and Lethbridge. Additional trial locations in 2023 included Falher and Fort Vermillion, but drought conditions meant the data wasnt usable. To be noted, the map doesnt include information on the requirements for contracts, nor what the CMBTCs recommended Canadian Malt Barley Technical Centre variety trials at Neapolis, Alta. on July 17, varieties are for a specific region. 2021.PHOTO: SHERI STRYDHORSTSheri Strydhorst works on contract with Alberta Grains as the regional variety trial coordinator. In a previous role, sheThe map solves the ongoing question of how best to get spearheaded the interactive mapping project. She now oversees ainformation out to producers in an accessible, meaningful way, she number of cereal crop variety trials including the nine historicalsays. Better information helps make better decisions.and new malting varieties that produce the data for Alberta GrainsAre industrys go-to varieties like CDC Copeland and AC interactive map. She says that, while the trials themselves have beenMetcalfe keeping up with new varieties in quality and yield? In a going on for decades, getting that information out to producers onword, no, Strydhorst adds. As the interactive map shows, theres a malt performance has until now proven somewhat challenging.definite yield penalty in older varieties. 34seed.ab.ca"