It’s official, InterGrain’s Buff barley is now a malting barley variety. Grains Australia announced the successful malt accreditation of Buff on the 1st March 2023.
Buff barley is a quick-maturing, white aleurone, acid soil tolerant variety that performs well across WA Agzones 1, 2 and 4.
With a number of seasons in the paddock, Buff production is widespread across WA and some parts of the east coast grain growing regions. Buff provides growers an alternative cereal crop to wheat for acidic and sandy soils, as well as an improved package, including higher yield and improved disease resistance, to previous acid-tolerant barley, Litmus .
Buff has consistently demonstrated a yield advantage over Litmus in acidic and sandy environments, where pH is below 5.5 (CaCl2) and a significant yield advantage in neutral soil types. Based on 2018-2022 NVT MET yield results, Buff offers an 8-10%* yield improvement over Litmus .
InterGrain CEO Tress Walmsley said Buff making malt was great news for Buff growers, who can now enjoy the benefits of Buff ’s flexibility in tough soils and high yield while having access to the malt market.
“The variety not only provides growers with an agronomically suitable barley for growers with challenging acidic and sandy soils, and also the possibility of increased profitability with potential malt premiums.
“The Buff malt success story reflects the hard work of InterGrain’s team, including breeder David Moody, operations, laboratory, marketing and support staff, plus growers who welcomed the opportunity to support the market development and accreditation processes over the last two seasons,” Tress said.
Meckering grower Neil Carter has been very pleased with Buff over the last two years, and he is planning to sow most of his barley program to Buff this year.
“Buff has been a very useful tool for us on our difficult acidic soils. We’ve seen it out-yielding other varieties in areas where we have acidic subsoils,” said Neil.
“Last season all the Buff was within malt spec however we didn’t have the option to deliver it as malt. It will be handy to have the opportunity to deliver it as a malt variety this coming harvest and provide more marketing options.”
Buff barley’s malt accreditation will potentially open new markets for growers, allowing them to benefit from the demand for high-quality malt barley. It will also enable growers to access better prices, further improving profitability.
Buff barley’s malt accreditation will come into effect in the coming year, with Buff growers set to reap the benefits of this new development.
For more information about Buff barley, please visit our website or contact your local InterGrain Territory Manager.