Feed Barley

Feed Barley. Barley is commonly fed to livestock as grain and forage. Feed barley, which utilizes the grain for direct consumption for livestock, is typically selected on the basis of physical characteristics, such as kernel plumpness and high test weights in addition to numerous nutritional quality traits.

Barley is of utmost importance for livestock feeding, which accounts for about 85% of barley production. Six-row barleys, which have higher protein content, are a valuable feed ingredient (OECD, 2004). Two-row barleys contain more starch and less protein and are thus preferred for brewing (barley with more than 11.5% protein causes beer cloudiness) (Monfort et al., 2005).
Barley grain is used for the production of alcohol (beer, whisky and ethanol), non-alcoholic beverages (barley tea, breakfast beverages) (OECD, 2004).

The by-products of barley grain processing are used as feed: brewer’s grains, brewer’s yeast, malt culms (barley sprouts and rootlets), barley distillers and solubles, hulls, bran and barley feed (the by-product of pearl barley production) (OECD, 2004).
Barley forage can be fed to livestock as pasture, hay or silage.
Barley straw is also used as fodder for ruminants and as bedding material (OECD, 2004, Akar et al., 2003).

Ukraine is the world’s third largest producer of barley.