End of March, the Braugersten-Gemeinschaft e. V. (German Malting Barley Association) has compiled an overview of summer barley plantings expected for the cultivation year 2017. Temperatures in the winter of 2016/2017 were 0.7 °C (approx. 1.3 °F) above the long-term average, while aggregate rainfall was about one third below that.
Especially in the south of Germany, many fields with snow cover were also hit by severe frosts and with periods of sunshine aggregating to 210 hours, this was one of the sunniest winters on record since the compilation of such comprehensive data was started in 1951.
Brewing barley state organizations now forecast a total area of spring barley cultivation in Germany of about 340,000 ha (roughly 840,000 acres). Very low temperatures in January, which occasionally reached -15 °C (5 °F), produced plenty of frost tilth for good spoil structures. The low moisture level in the soil allowed the fields to dry quickly so that early planting could proceed under general good to optimum soil conditions.
The varieties favored by growers this year have all been recommended by the Berlin Program. They are mainly Avalon, Catamaran, Quench and Solist. The variety RGT Planet, however, is largely being phased out for processing by the German brewing industry. However, it is still being cultivated on a small scale in several of the German states.
Here you can download a detailed overview and the original news:
Crop Report No.1 German 2017 Spring Barley
(All quantities presented here are based on preliminary estimates, as official acreage is not yet available.)