Thursday, October 23rd | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST

Insights from the 2025 U.S. Barley Crop

This presentation will dive into data from the USDA NASS Small Grains Summary, paired with how markets and weather impacted the crop harvested. It will also explore the landscape of variety development and improvement, and what maltsters can expect on the horizon. 

Insights from the 2025 Canada Barley Crop

Early sample results suggest very good test weights and high levels of plump kernels in the 2025 malting barley crop in western Canada.  Protein levels are expected to average over 1% lower than the 13.2% recorded by the CGC in 2024* with some areas of central Alberta reporting malting barley protein between 9-11%.  Germination energy is generally very high and while there are reports of some pre-harvest sprouting in eastern Saskatchewan in particular, it does not appear to be widespread.  Some staining is reported due to rains in early August. With respect to disease pressure, fusarium head blight has not been a significant issue again this year with reports of limited presence of DON in some samples, generally below 0.5 ppm.  Other diseases such as blight and blackpoint have been observed at higher levels than the past few years.

About Our Speakers

Ashley McFarland 

Ashley McFarland serves as the vice president and technical director for the American Malting Barley Association, a trade organization representing maltsters, brewers, and distillers working towards the betterment of the U.S. malting barley crop and associated industry. In her role, she supports communications and membership efforts, along with management of the Quality Evaluation Program, which seeks to bring improved malting barley varieties into the supply chain. She also serves as the executive secretary for the National Barley Improvement Committee that supports barley growers, researchers, and industry representatives to secure sustained funding for barley research and policies that support domestic malting barley production. Previous to AMBA, McFarland held various roles in University extension programs across four states and has worked in nonprofit executive leadership. She has a B.A. in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Central College (Pella, IA) and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Iowa State University. McFarland, along with her husband and two children, reside in Duluth, MN.

Aaron Onio                                                                                                                            Technical Maltster/Malt Academy Professor                                                                      Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre                

Aaron Onio oversees the day-to-day operations of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC), a pilot malt lab that houses a 100 kg pilot malt system and micro malt unit. His primary role is to evaluate the quality and performance of both established and new Canadian malt barley varieties. He is a resident instructor at the CMBTC’s Malt Academy, where he leads practical hands-on training and technical sessions focused on the malting process and quality assessment. Aaron looks forward to collaborating with his peers and supporting the continued advancement of quality and sustainability in the sector

Time: 1:00 PM-2:00 PM EST (12:00 PM-1:00 PM CST, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM MST, 10:00 PM-11:00 PM PST) 

Cost: Free for Craft Maltsters Guild members and $20 for non-Guild members

Questions? Please contact, [email protected].