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March 24, 2005 NDSU Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences Approved The North Dakota Board of Higher Education has approved an Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences at North Dakota State University. The mission of the institute is to provide reliable, high-quality, targeted research and education for barley producers and those in the domestic and international malting and brewing industries. “An advantage we have at NDSU is the fact that we have a strong vertically integrated research and education structure in place,” says Stephen Neate, NDSU Plant Pathology associate professor. “There are a lot of brewing research institutes around the world, but not one that addresses the issue of all aspects of producing high-quality malting grains. That’s something we are strong on here at NDSU.” The institute will have three components: research, education and outreach. “In the past, when the barley industry would have a problem, they would come to one of us for assistance in solving those problems,” Neate says. “This institute will allow us to have a process where we can take on bigger projects using cross discipline skills and help the industry identify future problems. We will be able to be proactive in our research rather than reactive.” "The institute
will help growers quickly respond to developing trends in malting and
brewing, as well as deal with production problems, such as disease and
pests,” says Roger Johnson, North Dakota agriculture commissioner.
“It will also investigate and promote other uses for barley. I hope
that it shows the way for research and development NDSU provides the traditional graduate education in barley and malting sciences, but that will be expanded through the institute. For example, those in the Asian and South American markets traditionally have handled two-row barley. However, six-row barley is different and needs to be handled differently. “The institute will be able to educate them on the differences, which will help us expand our markets,” Neate says. “We see this as a collaborative effort with the Northern Crops Institute on the NDSU campus, which already is providing educational opportunities. We also will partner with NCI in providing workshops and short courses as part of our outreach component.” The idea for the institute was conceived more than 18 months ago by Neate; Paul Schwarz, NDSU barley quality chemist; and Richard Horsley, NDSU barley breeder. “It was such a good idea that we couldn’t believe we didn’t think of it before,” Neate says. “We see this as a collaborative effort across departments on the NDSU campus. We have expertise on campus on economic issues, barley production, plant nutrition and fertilization, to name just a few. We feel this multidisciplinary approach will well serve the industry.” The institute will have a board of directors comprised of individuals from commodity groups, the malting and brewing industries and NDSU. Board members will come from the North Dakota Barley Council, American Malting Barley Association, the Montana and North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Stations, Western Barley Association and three representatives from the malting and brewing industry. More information about the institute is available on the Web at www.ag.ndsu.edu/ibms or by e-mail at stephen.neate@ndsu.nodak.edu ### Source:
Stephen Neate, (701) 231-6136, stephen.neate@ndsu.edu |
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North Dakota State University |
