Thank you, Richard.
Good afternoon, committee members.
My name is Trevor Petersen and I farm near Red Deer, Alberta, with my wife Carmen and our two children, Micah and Haley. I am a third-generation farmer, growing wheat, barley, canola, and field peas on about 1,500 acres.
I would like to discuss how we can make the barley industry more competitive globally.
Barley has had two traditional uses: malt for beer and livestock feed, primarily for cattle and pigs. With the coming changes to our barley marketing system, one of our most important needs is a commitment from government to help us develop new markets for our barley.
In the past, farmers have either sold our feed barley to local mills or feed lots. Our malt barley has gone to malting plants via the Wheat Board, or has been part of larger Wheat Board sales overseas.
Looking forward, we are excited about the many new opportunities in front of us. For example, in human health, barley lowers cholesterol, and with further research we could document other health benefits, such as lowering glycemic indexes. That would be of benefit to people with diabetes.
Another opportunity is in the Japanese market, where our barley is being used to make a popular beverage called shochu. In the malt industry, my local malting plant is doubling their storage and increasing their capacity. I know other new companies are now looking to invest in western Canada to take advantage of the growing global demand in beer consumption. This value-adding means more jobs in our communities.
The other major area of opportunity for barley is in the feed industry. One recent success story was the development of low-phytate barley. When fed to livestock, this barley reduces the amount of phosphorus in the manure. In today's world, there is a lot of concern about safe ground water and farm practices. This new low-phytate barley helps show consumers that we, as stewards of the land, are farming more sustainably and protecting our environment.
On behalf of the Alberta Barley Commission, which is a member of the Grain Growers of Canada, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to be here today.