Milwaukee, WI – May 17, 2018 – The major malting barley growing regions of the US extend from the Northern Great Plains, through the intermountain mountains and into the Pacific Northwest. A diverse geography that is being impacted by climate change in different ways requires a multidisciplinary approach to the development of adapted barley varieties. Temperatures across the region are predicted to increase in the coming years. North Dakota has seen the fastest increase in temperature in the contiguous 48 states, mainly through warming winters. The increases in the Pacific Northwest are expected to be largest during the summer growing season.
A bumper sticker spotted in Montana reads, “No barley, no beer.” It’s a reminder that Montana’s barley farmers are struggling. Barley is an unforgiving crop that needs a precise recipe of water and sunshine to thrive — too much of either will cause it to wither and die. And amid a changing climate and unpredictable seasons, that’s exactly what’s happening.