Pat Hayes, the head of Oregon State University’s barley breeding program, grows and analyzes over 10,000 experimental barley varieties, proposing the grain as a way for farmers to diversify their crops and capitalize on the growing markets of microbrews and whole-grain diets. Hayes’ team also studies barley’s genetic coding in an effort to identify genes that allow it to withstand low temperatures, resist disease, and survive with little water and nitrogen. They’ve partnered on this research with countries that include Australia, Germany, Japan, Scotland, and Uruguay. Hayes and OSU researcher Alfonso Cuesta-Marcos are interested in whether genes influence the flavor of barley. Their work has caught the attention of California’s Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Wisconsin’s New Glarus Brewing Co., who plan to test-brew beer from 50 to 100 exotic varieties of barley from around the world grown in 2012 by OSU.

Andrew Ross, food chemist and cereal scientist at OSU, is using barley flour to develop ambitious recipes for breads and tortillas. Local farmer Tom Hunton, co-owner of Camas Country Mill, believes barley is the next superfood sensation, and is currently growing some of Hayes’ varieties.

http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu/winter-2013/bringing-barley-back