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
Medicinal Farm Plants Workshop
August 2, 2026
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Staten Island, NY
Join Snug Harbor for a hands-on workshop with Urban Garden Specialist, Karen Guzman, as we explore medicinal plants growing on the farm! You'll get to see, smell, taste and learn how to grow and use them safely at home. Rochester Soil Health Day
September 1, 2026
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Rochester, NY
Join Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY, New York State Soil Health, and Foodlink for interactive activities focused on soil health and an opportunity to get your garden soil screened for lead (reservation required).Resilient Gardens Conference
September 18 - September 19, 2026
Fri: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sat: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Poughkeepsie, NY
The third Resilient Gardens Conference will focus on culturally relevant gardening skills and community garden management for the unique resource needs of urban gardeners. This two-day event will feature education and practical skills on day one; we'll hear from leaders of diverse stakeholder groups on strategies to overcome these issues in cities and rural communities and connecting resources between Cornell Cooperative Extension and leading community gardens. The second day is optional and will include tours of local gardening projects across Poughkeepsie and Kingston NY. This event is primarily open to Seed to Supper Garden Educators, CCE Educators, Master Gardener Volunteers and Upstate Seed to Supper Program Participants, as well as partner Community Gardens involved with Harvest NY.