Crop Report #2 – German Spring Barley – June 13, 2025
The German malting and brewing industries are relying increasingly on a three-pillar cultivation model of not just standard spring barley sown in the spring and winter barley sown in the fall, but also on spring barley sown in the fall. The total malting barley area cultivated in Germany in the 2024/25 campaign is approximately 330,000 hectares, of which some 30,000 hectares are winter malting barley varieties and 300,000 hectares are spring barley varieties.
The previous Report # 1 already outlined the initial sowing conditions. Because of a spring drought, both winter barley and fall-sown spring barley started out promising, but only up to the tillering stage, after which a further lack of precipitation up until the grain filling stage led to some damage in early winter crops, especially on weaker soils. The lack of precipitation also meant that the fertilizer that had been applied did not dissolve properly. Thus, the plants were not able to absorb it in a timely fashion. Fortunately, late-sown winter barley crops, and especially spring-sown barley, benefited from the cool temperatures in May that brought timely and widespread rains at the beginning of June. But even in these crops, the number of head- and flag leaf-bearing stalks had already been reduced. Nonetheless, conditions for the grain filling phase are rated as positive in most regions.
Also because of the spring drought, the crops developed robust root systems, which allowed them to effectively absorb whatever moisture was available. However, additional rain is now needed to ensure a satisfactory harvest. In some early regions, such as the Rhine Valley and southwest Germany, an early start of the winter crop harvest expected, probably at the end of June.
The key varieties planted in this crop season are Amidala, Lexy, Caruso, and Leandra, which are also recommended by the Berlin Program. In addition, KWS Donau, and KWS Somerset are being cultivated, next to a few varieties under contract.
The harvest forecast of the Malting Barley Association (Braugersten-Gemeinschaft e.V.) will be published after regional malting barley inspection tours and assessments by the different state malting barley associations.