After cruising through some old emails I came across a memo from the Rogue Nation. This report came out in late summer early fall. How could you not want to own a farm with the view above. Part I reviews the barley raw material. The barley survived wild fires, some of the largest wild fires Oregon has seen.
Dare™ & Risk™ Malting Barley: Four weeks ago we harvested our Dare™ spring malting barley as Oregon’s largest wildfire loomed over the horizon. Stan, Deanna and Andrea Ashbrook of Dufur, Oregon returned to the Micro Barley Farm to drive the combines just as they did for the Risk™ malting barley harvest in early August. In just a few days they brought in the Dare™ crop during some of the hottest weather we had all year. Initial tests show good plump levels and intact kernels, great news for when we malt it.We harvested 897,345 pounds of Risk™ and Dare™ malting barley this year. And while that may sound like a lot, it’s not enough to fill more than a couple of production lines at a commercial malting plant.
Just south of here near Madras, Oregon’s largest wildfire made headlines across the state. The High Cascades fire burned more than 108,000 acres of brush, scrub and grass before being completely contained in mid-September. Other nearby fires included the Webster and Dollar Lake wildfires. Thankfully, none of them impacted operations at the Micro Barley Farm, except for at night when the flames filled the sky with a wondrous glow.
As the harvest wrapped up, Doc McAllister went in search of a field for next year’s Risk™ winter barley. The area he chose is currently used for hay and grass and hasn’t been planted in grain for more than a decade. It’s what Doc likes to call, virgin territory or new ground.
Moving crops from field to field, called crop rotation, is done to preserve nutrients in the soil and to prevent disease. If we were to plant malting barley in the same place year after year, all the nutrients it needs would be depleted from the dirt. Crop rotation also reduces the use of fertilizers.
Preparing new ground is time consuming and takes about six weeks. The steps include irrigation, plowing, discing and harrowing.
Irrigation: This causes leftover grass, hay and weed seeds to germinate. By forcing them to germinate this fall, they won’t interfere when the barley grows in the spring. It also loosens the soil and makes it easier to work.
Plowing: Grass and hay have deep roots and a wide base. Plowing overturns the soil about a foot deep, breaking up the plant material and returning it to the soil as organic humus.
Discing: Breaks up the larger soil clumps.
Harrowing:Continues breaking up the soil and creates a smooth texture.
Any of these steps may need to be repeated to get things just right. The planting of the Risk™
malting barley expected to take place early October.
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