Follow @SaskBarley for more updates. | | | |
| Smaller Crops, Tighter Malt Supplies | |
After a slow, wet harvest in much of Saskatchewan, the first official 2026 production numbers are in. The October outlook covers StatsCan’s 9.71 mln tonne estimate, a July 31 carryover of 940,400 tonnes (the lowest in three years) and a historically small US crop.
For many growers, quality may be the bigger story. LeftField reports early provincial estimates put Saskatchewan malt selection at roughly 18% of the crop, the lowest since 2019, and says: “Whether enough malt barley gets harvested to meet core demand is a genuine question this year, and has resulted in rising price premiums for quality.”
| | Post-Harvest Guide: Essential Fall Management Strategies for Your Farm | |
Harvest may be over, but some of the most important management decisions of the year are just beginning. From soil testing and fall fertilizer applications to weed control, residue management, insect planning, and seed testing, the choices made this fall can have a major impact on next year's yield potential and profitability.
Check out our comprehensive guide.
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| Harvest And Storage Management | |
Once it’s in the bin, your barley is still very much alive. Poor storage management can cause germination losses—even after you’ve harvested everything right.
Tips to lock in quality:
- Cool grain to below 10°C as soon as possible.
- Use aeration to manage moisture and temperature.
- Turn grain regularly.
- Monitor hot spots or pockets of higher-moisture grain.
Learn more in this webinar from Boortmalt & PAMI.
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| Malt Barley Specs: Meeting Industry Standards | Meeting key malt specifications for protein, germination, moisture, kernel plumpness, and disease tolerance can improve marketability and increase the likelihood of malt selection. This article, taken from a webinar by CMBTC featuring Boortmalt, also highlights practical harvest and storage strategies to help preserve malt quality from field to bin. | | |
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Grower-Industry Connect as part of the 2026 CWSS-SCM Annual Meeting
November 23 - 26, Saskatoon
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Producers, agronomists, researchers, and industry leaders are invited to take part in the new Grower - Industry Connect meeting on November 23, 2026, a special one-day event being held as part of the 2026 Canadian Weed Science Society / Société Canadienne de Malherbologie Annual General Meeting in Saskatoon.
Designed to foster practical discussion around emerging weed management technologies and strategies, the event offers a unique opportunity for growers and industry stakeholders to connect directly with weed science experts and researchers.
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Harvest Sample Program
Important Deadlines
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The Harvest Sample Program is a free, voluntary program for Canadian producers. Participants receive a Harvest Sample kit annually that contains free shipping envelopes for sending in samples for CGC's dockage and quality assessments. Key dates for 2026 include:
November 13
Deadline to sign up for the program if you have not participated before.
December 31
Deadline to receive your 2026 samples for analysis.
April 1
Last day to get your results and update your crops in the online portal.
Sign up or learn more about the Harvest Sample Program.
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Grade School
Nov 24, Swift Current & Nov 26, Humboldt
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Sask Wheat has partnered with the Canadian Grain Commission and the other SaskCrops commissions to bring Grade School back for 2026.
This free event gives producers an opportunity to watch in-person grading demonstrations with CGC representatives. Learn about the Harvest Sample Program, discuss common degrading issues for each crop and get answers to common grading and marketing questions.
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BarleyBin LIVE in Moosomin
Dec 3 at Cork & Bone Bistro
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We're taking the conversation off the screen and into the community with a relaxed night of food, drinks, and discussion at Cork & Bone Bistro in Moosomin, SK. Connect with fellow producers, industry representatives, researchers and the SaskBarley team while discussing the opportunities and challenges shaping barley production today.
Enjoy a complimentary meal and local beer, hear insights from Lana Shaw's nitrogen management research trials and learn more about our Alternative Seeding Implement field trials with the BarleyBin Field Lab.
Registration coming soon to SaskBarley.com.
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PAMI Answers 8 Common Questions About Grain Drying and Storage |
- How long can I store damp or tough grain while waiting for dryer capacity?
- I'd like to add a heater to my NAD system, what equipment works best?
- How do I know when my grain is dry?
Find expert advice on grain storage and drying from the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI). Discover how to assess airflow needs, add supplemental heat to a Natural Air Drying (NAD) system and use EMC charts effectively.
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Combine to Customer Nomination Deadline, Dec 4th | |
Developed specifically for Canadian grain farmers, this three-day course provides a broad overview of grain industry operations through presentations and demonstrations, as well as hands-on technical activities in the Cereals Canada analytical lab, pilot mill, pilot bakery, pasta plant, and noodle lab.
Upcoming sessions in Winnipeg:
- February 2 - 5, 2027
- February 16 - 19, 2027
Apply at combinetocustomer.ca to be nominated by Sask Wheat.
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Plots Without Borders is Looking for Participants | |
Supported by WGRF, Sask Wheat, SaskOilseeds and SaskCanola, this uSask project works on finding better ways to analyze on-farm trials.
Using the spatial information in yield maps, we can account for variation and improve our ability to detect real treatment differences. The result is more reliable answers from the trials producers are already running.
CONTACT RACQUELLE PETERS TO PARTICIPATE
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Have a barley challenge on your farm? | |
Help shape future barley research!
Tell us what production challenges or research ideas would improve your farm. Your input guides the research we fund to deliver real-world results for Saskatchewan barley growers.
Contact Mitchell Japp, Research & Extension Manager at (306) 535-4536 or mjapp@saskbarley.com.
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