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Happy New Year! To kick off 2025 we want to share the latest on the malting barley front. As you may be aware, momentum has been growing for both CDC Fraser and CDC Churchill. The 2025-2026 Recommended Malting Barley List from CMBTC lists CDC Fraser and CDC Churchill as growing export demand, growing domestic demand and increasing supply. This indicates full steam ahead for both varieties. CDC Fraser grew market share from 6.4% in 2023 to 8.4% in 2024. I hear from domestic maltsters that they feel CDC Fraser is a replacement for AC Metcalfe, and definitely want to see more acres. CDC Churchill grew market share from 3.1% in 2023 to 7.7% share in 2024. More than double acres from one year to the next! This trend will likely continue because CDC Churchill is one of the highest yielding barley varieties in the market (both feed and malt). Farmers love to grow it – but the market may not be ready for another doubling of acres. Selection rate may not be as high as CDC Fraser as end users get used to adding this to their mix. CDC Copeland market share continues to decline, dropping from 22.3% in 2023 to 17.4% in 2024. End users are nervous that CDC Copeland will continue to drop while there is still demand, so customers can expect high selection rate. The big news for 2025 is that CDC Churchill has joined CDC Fraser and CDC Copeland on the AMBA List of Recommended Barley Varieties (the US version of the CMBTC list). This demonstrates the growing international acceptance of CDC Churchill and CDC Fraser. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions. All the best in the New Year! Sincerely, Todd Hyra |