Malting Barley Alternative Markets
Cheryl Bilinski, Local Food Systems Specialist, Farm to School Lead
Harvest New York

As with many specialty grains, it is best to have a market for your crop before you grow it. The greatest opportunity for malting barley is to contact and contract with maltsters before planting. By doing this, specifications and quality requirements will be known.
Plan ahead for an alternative market for rejected barley. This can help minimize economic losses if the crop is rejected based on grain quality. Using barley as an animal feed as a portion of finishing rations for beef cattle is a good option as well as including it in a dairy cow ration -- barley is a comparable substitute for corn.
This flyer will provide information about market opportunities for rejected barley and potential buyers.
This project was supported and funded by NY Farm Viability Institute.
Malting Barley Alternative Markets flyer, March 2017 (pdf; 333KB)
Upcoming Events
2025 Agroforestry Field Day Series -- Agroforestry Implementation and Management
October 23, 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Highland, NY
Interested in incorporating agroforestry practices into your farm? Join us for a series of workshops co-hosted by CCE Ulster, Orange, and Harvest NY with Mastwood Farms, Black Creek Farm and Nursery and Scenic Hudson. On October 23, we'll return to Erik Schellenberg's farm, Black Creek Farm and Nursery, for a Fall tour of their agroforestry plantings. Erik will talk about harvesting and managing plantings while we see some seasonal crops and installations of different ages and types. There will be time for questions and discussion as we wrap up the series. covered.
Soil Health 101 for Community Gardens -- A Bilingual Workshop
October 24, 2025
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Staten Island, NY
Join Urban Agriculture Specialists, Karen Guzman and Yolanda Gonzalez, as they discuss the importance of soil health and testing your soil as you prepare for the incoming growing season. They will go into strategies for best practices when it comes to soil health management and highlight the current soil testing program through NYSDAM and CCE. This workshop will be in both Spanish and English.Biochar 101 for Community Gardens (Upper Manhattan)
October 25, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Upper Manhattan, NY
Join Karen Guzman and Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell University, Bill Hilgendorf of White Feather Farm, and the NYRP Urban Ag team for a deep dive into biochar as a tool for waste management, carbon storage, and soil health in a community garden context. During this hands-on workshop, participants will have the chance to make biochar using garden waste and learn about best practices when applying it to a garden bed. Workshop attendees will all receive a small amount of biochar to take back to their garden.Space is limited. Pre-registration required.