Malting Barley as a Profitable and Sustainable Alternative to Winter Wheat in Corn-Soybean Rotations

Commodities

Practices

Double-cropping soybeans (Glycine max Merr.) following winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a well-established system in the Midwest, USA. However, persistently low winter wheat prices, projected around $4.90-$5.00 bu^-1 for the 2025/26 season, with high nitrogen requirements and late harvest timing that compresses the soybean planting window have raised questions about its long-term viability. Winter malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) offers three key advantages: (1) a price premium under malting contracts (often $5.40-$6.00 bu^-1 vs. wheat), increasing grain revenue; (2) substantially lower nitrogen fertilizer needs (typically 60-90 for barley vs.100-140 lbs N ac^-1 for wheat) to meet strict grain protein ceilings (≤12%), reducing input costs and residual soil nitrate; (3) harvest 10-14 days earlier than wheat, advancing soybean planting and potentially boosting double-crop soybean yields (preliminary findings indicate 8% increase; from 45 to 49 bu ac^-1). Despite these agronomic, economic, and ecological benefits, no field-scale studies in Illinois or the central Midwest have simultaneously evaluated malting barley versus winter wheat in double-crop soybean systems. The Midwest craft brewing industry, nearly 9,800 small independent breweries contributing $72.5 billion nationally, faces unmet demand for locally sourced malting barley. Connecting Illinois farmers with regional maltsters and brewers could diversify income, reduce commodity market dependence, strengthen local supply chains, and enhance agricultural community resilience. This two-year graduate student project will establish replicated randomized experiments at two southern Illinois sites: the Southern Illinois University Agronomy Research Center Carbondale and a cooperating farmer's field (Belleville). Four systems will be compared: (1) full-season soybean after winter fallow (2) full-season soybean after a crimson clover + cereal rye cover crop (terminated in mid-April) (3) winter wheat double-cropped with soybean (planted mid-June) and (4) winter malting barley double-cropped with soybean (planted early June). Measurements will include small-grain and soybean yields, grain quality (including malting characteristics), nitrate leaching from fall planting through soybean harvest in poorly drained and tile-drained conditions, soil nitrate dynamics, and net economic returns via partial budgets. Outcomes will include two journal articles, a comprehensive extension plan featuring field days, X social posts, a fact sheet on double cropping systems, integration into SIU courses, and a national conference presentation. We anticipate at least 25% of participating producers will gain improved understanding of trade-offs among winter cropping options, with 10-15% expressing intent to evaluate or adopt malting barley. These outcomes will promote more profitable, ecologically sustainable, and resilient double-cropping systems across Illinois and the North Central region.

A two-year trial with four replications at two sites will identify which winter cropping system provides the best combination of agronomic performance, profitability, and ecological protection. The target audience includes double-cropping soybean producers, crop advisors, extension educators, and the agronomic research community. Project outputs will include two peer-reviewed journal articles and a fact sheet, with results disseminated through the SIU Agricultural Sciences website, the Sadeghpour-Brevik Laboratory website, and X (formerly Twitter) to reach both scientific and producer audiences.

Field days (100-200 participants each) will be conducted at the SIU Agronomy Research Center and the Belleville site in collaboration with the Illinois Research and Education Council, Illinois Soybean Association, and Illinois Farm Bureau, providing stakeholders with opportunities to observe treatment differences and discuss system performance. Pre- and post-surveys administered during field days in years 1 and 2 will assess baseline knowledge and measure changes in awareness, understanding of agronomic and economic trade-offs, and adoption intent. A follow-up postcard survey of approximately 50 growers will evaluate whether participants who expressed adoption intent implemented on-farm evaluations or pursued malting barley contracts.

Due to the two-year timeframe, evaluation will focus on short-term learning outcomes and intent to adopt, with longer-term adoption documented in subsequent NC-SARE reporting. We anticipate that at least 25% of participants will improve understanding of agronomic and economic differences between malting barley and winter wheat, and 10-15% will increase awareness of how reduced nitrogen rates influence input costs and ecological outcomes.