barley

Barley production in Ohio usually takes place in the winter. However, little barley is grown in Ohio because of a general lack of winter hardiness. If raised, barley is typically seeded from early to mid-October and harvested from early to mid-June.

In the most recent Census of Agriculture, 489 Ohio farms reported growing barley on a total of 5,745 acres. Ohio ’s leading barley-producing counties are Ashland , Holmes, Knox, Preble and Wayne . An acre of barley typically yields about 54 bushels of grain.

Barley grown for feed is used in rations for all types of animals, and, historically, livestock consumed most of the barley produced in the United States. This is no longer the case as food and industrial uses have shown continued growth, while feed uses of barley have declined. The current breakdown is approximately 60 percent food and industrial use , and 40 percent feed and residual use.

As a food source, barley is used in soups, as an extender for vegetable proteins and occasionally milled into flour. Barley has nutritional advantages such as high fiber and antioxidant content, as well as being cholesterol free and low in fat. Malt barley is used to produce beer. To a small extent, malt is used by the distilling industry in the production of hard liquors such as whiskey, and by the food industry in the production of some cake mixes and breads.

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