Ov Overv rview iew Of Of Ce Cereal al Gr Growi wing ng In Or - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ov Overv rview iew Of Of Ce Cereal al Gr Growi wing ng In Or Orkney ney

By Peter er Martin tin and John Wishart art Agrono nomy my Institute, titute, Orkney ney College ge UHI NPA CEREAL AL Project ject Confere rence ce, , Orkney y Oct 23rd

rd 2015

2015

Hi Histor torica ical

• Cereals grown in Orkney since Neolithic

times (c. 4,000 BC):

• Mostly barley (often naked); small quantities
• f wheat, mainly Emmer
• Oats introduced in the Iron Age
• Norse period (800-1468):
• Barley (6-row, hulled; probably Bere) and
• ats dominate; Bere and black oats suited to

sandy coastal soils (Mn-deficient)

• Trading links with other Norse areas – grain,

malt or beremeal an important Orkney export (Norway, Shetland and later Leith)

• 1800s – major agricultural improvements:
• Soil improvement by draining and liming
• Enclosure of stock
• Post 1830’s, steamer service allowed the

development of a strong livestock industry

• By 1912, (13,500 ha oats and c. 1,600 ha of

Bere

• Through

ugh 20th

th C,

C, shift to growing modern feed barley, virtual loss of oats and Bere

Cur urren rent t Ag Agricultura icultural l La Land nd-Use Use In In Orkn rkney ey

• Ca. 93,000 ha of agricultural land
• Dominated by livestock:
• High quality

ity meat t and dairy y industry stry (83,0 ,000 00 cattle tle & 116,0 ,000 00 sheep) p)

• 93% is grassl

sslan and and rough h grazin ing

• Only 4,500 ha of crops; c. 4,360 ha is

barley

• Cereals grown for feed and straw.

Often, but not always within a rotation:

• 6-8 yrs grass
• 2-3 yrs barley

ey

• Barley

ey ofte ten n undersown rsown with h grass s in 3rd

rd year

• High fertility soils resulting from

applications of slurry/manure to grass and cereal fields

Ma Main in Uses es Of f Orkn rkney ey Cer erea eals ls

• On-Farm Animal Feed & Bedding
• Most barley

ey harves ested ed as moist grain n (23- 25% mc) and d treated ed with preser ervati ative

• Smaller

er amounts unts harves ested ted at higher er moisture ure for crimpi ping, ng, as whole e crop p silage age or dry grain

• Straw is very important

tant

• Other On-Farm Uses
• Some

e dried d grain n retained ned on-far arm m as farm- saved ed seed. ed.

• Off-Farm Uses
• A few grower

ers produce uce certified ed seed

• Bere

e for malting ng and local al milling ng (ca. 50 ha)

• Malting

ng barley ey for Highland and Park Distiller ery (ca 12 ha)

• Small areas

as of oats and wheat at for local al milling ng

• About
• ut 1 h

ha of oats for straw w for weaving ng

• In good

d years, rs, some e expor port of straw and grain n to Shetl tland and

Challe leng nges es & & St Strengths gths Of Cereal l Cultiv ivati ation

• n In Orkne

ney

• Challen

enges es & constrain traints ts – mainly ly weath ther er related ted

• Stron

rong g winds ds and d soil il waterlog rloggin ging g over er winte nter r prev even ent the he use e of winter r cere real al varie rietie ies.

• Lat

ate e plant anting ing (us usually ually April) il). Proba

• bably

bly lates est plant anting ing of Spring ring barley rley in UK – depe pend nds on soil il dry rying ing out ut

• Short
• rt, cool
• ol grow

rowin ing g seas ason

• ns.
• Stron

rong g winds ds near ar harv rvest can n caus use e crop rop lodging dging

• r grain

ain / ear ar shedd hedding ing

• Wet weat

ather her at harv arvest:

• Difficult harvesting conditions
• High grain moisture
• Few read

adily ily acces essib ible le early rly mat atur uring ing variet arieties ies for

• r

malt ltin ing g and d milling ling

• Strengths
• Hundre

ndreds ds of years ears of soil il and d farm arm improv provem ement nts

• Fert

rtile ile soils ils and d farm arm manure nures

• Fields

elds mos

• stly

ly suit itable ble for

• r mode

dern rn mac achine hinery ry (siz ize, slope

• pe, drainag

rainage) e)

• A high

gh level el of mechan echanis isat ation.

• ion. Sever

eral al large rge cont

• ntrac

actors

• rs. High

gh machin hinery ery output uts helps lps farm rmers ers cope

• pe with

h narr rrow

• w window

dows of oppo port rtun unit ities ies for

• r

plant anting ing, spray praying ing and d harv rvesting ing.

Opportu rtuni nitie ties s Fo For Cereal al Fo Food and Drink k Marke kets ts

• Malting

ing Barley ley

• 2 Distilleries and 2 breweries
• Highland Park and Swannay Brewery

both have experience of using local barley.

• Highland Park has its own malting

facilities.

• Bere - a traditional Scottish crop

already being exported to Bruichladdich Distillery and Valhalla Brewery for niche products.

• Cere

reals als For r Milling ing

• Barony Mill produces stoneground

Beremeal (barley), oatmeal and wheat flour

• Used by local bakeries
• Some export of beremeal
• Aim:

: to

• increa

ease se the range and quantity of genuinely “local” food and drink k products ucts for:

• High-value exports
• Tourists and visitors (c 140,000 visitors

pa (excluding cruise ship passengers)