MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – An independent Alberta seed grower and distributor who operates out of the Sundre area is confident that a new drought-resistant feed barley variety that is said to boast a potential for high yields will offer a tempting option for producers who are preparing for a dry season.
Touted as drought tolerant as well as nitrogen-efficient with a high-yielding factor to boot, the newly introduced AB Standswell Barley is ideal for the times, believes Bob Mastin, who farms and sells seed out of the Sundre area.
Although granted registration in 2022, this is the first year the new six-row variety – which was developed by the Field Crop Development Centre – is readily available to farmers, and Mastin Seeds secured marketing rights.
With the province bracing for the stark possibility of extreme drought conditions this summer and beyond, Mastin expects the variety’s water-use efficiency will be particularly appealing for producers.
And with pressure mounting on the agricultural industry to reduce inputs, he also anticipates another of the seed’s traits – its nitrogen-use efficiency – will also prove a tempting option.
Mastin has throughout the span of more than 40 years as a seed grower specialized his distribution business in discovering varieties that might have flown under the proverbial radar of bigger players. He originally entered seed marketing by putting forward a creative bid on a feed barley he named Sundre when he was awarded its rights. Others in his stable include Pintail Winter wheat as well as Cerveza malt barley.
In a press release issued by Mastin Seeds on April 30, Mastin said he had been searching for a replacement for Sundre barley.
“It’s been around nearly fifteen years, which is a long time in the variety game. It’s still relevant but I was looking for something new,” Mastin was quoted as saying.
When the variety first came up for bids, nobody had picked it up and Mastin made note of it when the opportunity once again presented itself. So he jumped at the chance to bring it forward and then had to come up with a suitable name.
“Every farmer I know is wanting a barley variety that stands up. Barley is one of the worst cereal crops when it comes to lodging problems,” said Mastin.
“While this variety has several good traits, every farmer has standability at the top of their wish list. And this one definitely ‘stands well’!”
On average, Standswell reportedly uses nine per cent less nitrogen than existing barley varieties; a new trait focus that is expected to become more important in the future.
A limited supply of preliminary samples of the seed that were available for restricted sales and tested by local farmers last season also reportedly showed promise.
Shane Wolfe, a local farmer who last year grew a 35-acre test field for silage, reportedly said that he despite “less-than-ideal conditions” was nevertheless able to harvest “14 MT per acre.”
Additionally, Standswell also delivered the highest nutritional values Wolfe reportedly ever had for straight barley silage. The results compelled him to triple his acreage of the variety this year with plans to combine instead of silaging the crop to harvest the high grain yield.
As concerns endure about an excessively dry season this year, Mastin has also reportedly seen farmers adapting their cropping plans to include more barley.
And with Standswell’s water-use efficiency as well as its ability to perform with reduced nitrogen input, he is confident the seed will become a top pick for feed barley varieties both for cattle and grain producers.
