Just wondering about barley

JRSutton

Well-known Member
I know a guy who owns a small but fairly successful brewery. He'd like to use some local ingredients to make some locally themed batches of beer.

(I'm in Mass.)

I've baled my share of hay over the years, but I've never been around ANY kind of grain crop.

I know ZERO - nothing.

Just curious if it's something that could be done relatively easily on a very small scale.

I'm thinking of a field - about 3 or 4 acres that I have access to.

I'm also wondering about old small combines - like a john deere 12a or something along those lines. (might be tough for me to even find one in this area - but could take a trip if I found one within 500 miles)

We've got tractors and gravity wagons.

Grain drills seem to be easy enough to find in ohio where I go twice a year.

This guy would probably pay well enough for the crop to recoup my costs pretty quickly if it worked out. But I'd really be doing this more as a friend than to make a profit.

so - I don't really have a specific question - just looking for some general advice. Any special soil conditions needed, when do you plant, when do you harvest, how many bushels could I expect to get per acre?

Are there any good small combines to look for.

am I crazy to even try?

again I have ZERO experience here. - would like to hear what others have to say.
 
Small grains are easy to grow but can be a pain to harvest if it gets flattened due to weather. I've seen huge fields of oats knocked down almost 100%. A question to ask - will your guy take the barley or does it have to be malted first. It has to get malted by somebody. I'd do some math first. Find out what he is willing to pay. You can find websites that tell how much per acre to plant, how much fertilizer, yield, etc. You can get an idea on what ever implement you will need will cost. You will also need to spray for weeds. Ragweed is big around here if not sprayed. I don't know the difference between spring barley and winter barley for making beer so that is another factor. Also will you be able to sell the straw as that helps the bottom line. You may have lot of investment for what you can get back from 3-4 acres anytime soon.
 
Around here I can sell straw for much more per bale than hay. Just can't move a lot of it. But that alone would as you say help offset the costs.

Even so, this really would be done more for "fun" than profit. So I'd want to go real cheap.

This guy would take care of the malting. All I've got to do is supply him with the grain.

I guess my biggest question is about small pull type combines.

I've never even SEEN one with my own eyes. I have no idea how cheap I could expect to find one that's in working condition.

I also have no idea how far I'd have to go to find one in the first place. I've just never seen one around these parts.

Anybody have any experience with these?

I'm having a hard time finding any info through google - so far I see there's a jd 12a, and a jd 30

I'm sure there are many other brands/models but that's as far as I've gotten. And I'm coming up with nothing searching for either of those for sale anywhere.
 
Allis Chalmers made good small combines - AC66, AC72. Around here they sell from $300 to $1000 if in decent shape. I think there are quite a few of the old combines around - maybe not in a particular area. I understand the fun part of what you want to - I do about 15 acres total and its a hobby for fun. I do spend more time on the hobby than I do on working a real job.
 
I raised oats for a few years (grew up with it), and barley for about 30 years. Always was the nurse crop for alfalfa. Oats is seeded about 3 bpa, barley at 1 1/2 bpa. Both are cool wet spring crops. Mature about the same time. Yields around here are 50-60 bpa. Not much oats raised here, but lotsa barley. Barley has 92% of the feed value of corn, easily replaces corn in the ration, whereas oats can"t do that. Barley"s thinner stand let more sun down through to the alfalfa. Straw is somewhat coarser than oats, but absorbs better than wheat straw. We chopped straw for dairy bedding, so it worked well.

AC made very good pull-type combines, easy to adjust- especially cyl speed, and easy handling on the crop. Can get a nice 66 for 3-500.
 
Across the pond they are very picky about nitrogen; needs to be very low for malting. So be careful in appling nitrogen although yield might suffer.
 
You could check with UMass Ag Extension to see if they have any info on growing malting barley in your area.

Generally, (due to climatic conditions) it is grown in the northern plains and pacific northwest.

<img src = "http://www.grains.org/sites/default/files/styles/colorbox-maxwidth-800/public/basic-page/feature_image/barleyproduction2010_lg.jpg?itok=fdQuQ7YJ">
BEER
 
when I sold my cows I traded the vacuum pump for an old JD 25 my friend had in eastern NY state. I grew barley, planning to fatten pigs. Factory work and farming weekends don't go together raising grain. When the grain is ready it can't wait or it will go down and not stand back up again like grass. The combine became junk from sitting outside and I sold it to guy for a lawn ornament. I've seen them for sale in the Uncle Henry ad mag out of Maine. They have a MA edition, used to be Want-ad.
 
Unless you are stuck on having a JD pull type I would include the suggestions for the old AC as they were widely know as some of the best small grain combines availible. I would also add though that the IH 80 and 82 are both very nice machines and auger pick up instead of canvas. I have and use an 80 and it does very well. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully you enjoy your venture.
 
Generally, (due to climatic conditions) it is grown in the northern plains and pacific northwest.





Google "Oregon state barley"

Lots of work going on there.....
 

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