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Farm & Ranch

All about the Tiny Bits of Barley

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By Jessica Crabtree

As the summer temperatures of June began to steep, you could find the Fortenberry brothers busy at work hauling hay from the field. The brothers are eighth generation farmers and ranchers, of the progressive kind. With degrees from Texas A&M, the Fortenberrys are constantly looking to elevate their farming practices. Entrepreneurs in their young age, their latest endeavor is barley.
The first year for the Fortenberry is seen as a trial and error year: time to evaluate what worked and what didn’t, in order to move on next year. With barley there are two classes, food consumption grade and feed grade. The brothers are aiming for the food consumption grade in order to malt their barley harvest.

Barley is typically used as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages and as a component of various health foods. You also see it used in soups and stews, in bread among various cultures, as well as in cattle feed. “With this we are still looking for plumpness of the grain and weight of bushel, but we are also after a lower protein percentage. Basically, the lower the quality the better,” Ethan Fortenberry said. Not a normal crop for the North Texas region, barley is typically grown in dryer climates such as in Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin and in the Dakotas.

The farmers shared they planted their barley in October, very similar to wheat, while those up north plant their barley in February or March as more of a spring crop.”Here [Slidell] we have kind of less than favorable soil with a lot of rock,” Bain Fortenberry said. The two explained other places may add more nitrogen or irrigate to manipulate the crop for more yield, saying, “Target expected return with nitrogen.” With barley used for malting, the ideal protein percentage is 10.5 to 11 percent. However, more than 12 is not acceptable. If protein in the barley tests too high, it is simply sold for feed.

To read more pick up a copy of the August 2017 issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.

This barley is a two-row malting barley used for food. The other variety, a six-row is considered for “feed” grade. The two-row is genetically bred to have fewer nutrients and protein, necessary when being used to malt. (Photo by Jessica Crabtree)

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Farm & Ranch

Ag Elsewhere: Wyoming

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By Tressa Lawrence

Despite some blue skies, March can still bring sub-zero temperatures to Wyoming as calves hit the ground.

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Farm & Ranch

Ag Elsewhere: Montana

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By Lindsey Monk

Welding on some corrals before dark. It’s been a mild winter in Montana so far, knock on wood.

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Farm & Ranch

Land Market Report: January Land Sales

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By Jared Groce

The rural land market in North Texas has had a fairly stale start to the year, with the number of transactions closed being minimal so far. There has been an increase in call volume from buyers, and some are turning into contracts, but I feel like we are still a little slower than we usually are at this time of the year. The “experts” are expecting fewer transactions in 2024 as compared to 2023, and they may be correct, because election years always seem to be slower. Once the election is over, and regardless of who wins, things seem to pick up once again. It is a strange phenomena that just seems to happen every four years.

With the amount of growth that we are currently experiencing here, I do not expect things to get any cheaper. More people means more houses, and they have to have land to build those houses on.

To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

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