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Feed
As much as 80 per cent of all barley grown in Alberta every year is used as feed for livestock. Much of that is used by Alberta’s $4-billion cattle industry, resulting in beef that is finely textured and delicately marbled in white fat.
Barley is also used to feed hogs, poultry and sheep in Alberta. And some 400,000 to 600,000 tonnes of feed barley are exported annually, primarily to Japan (mainly for beef and hogs) and Saudi Arabia (mainly for camels).
In Alberta, barley is considered ideal feed for livestock for several reasons. It:
- Has the genetic diversity to perform well in many of the province’s growing conditions
- Is an excellent source of energy (starch)
- Contains more protein than corn (which is also widely used for livestock feed)
- Has a higher level of starch digestion in ruminants than corn (despite having a lower starch content)
- Can be the total grain portion beef cattle and dairy cows.
Still, the Alberta Barley Commission recognizes that livestock feeder need higher-yielding, more digestible feed barley for Canada’s meat sector to remain competitive. To that end, it supports several recent and current feed barley research projects.
As well, in February 2008, the Commission endorsed a study by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Feed grains and forage research and commercialization report.
The report recommends both government and agricultural producer groups invest more in feed research. Also see the Barley Country March 2008 story Commission welcomes Cattlemen’s report.
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