Crop Report #1: German 2024 Spring Barley

Based on seed sales and early estimates in the state malting barley associations, the German Malting Barley Association expects the spring barley acreage to be roughly 350,000 hectares. This represents an increase of some 8.5% compared to 2023, much of which was in Lower Saxony. However, it is still unclear how much of this increase is intended for malting quality barley cultivation. The initially feared seed shortage was averted in part because of a softening of traditional standards for seed germination rates. It also helped that seeds from newly approved varieties recommended by the Brewing Barley Association became available.

According to the German Federal Statistics Office, incessant rains and floods led to a roughly 4% decline of acreage planted with winter cereals, especially in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Bavaria. Also, the acreage of spring barley sown in the fall decreased significantly by some 45,000 ha compared to 2023, in part because of unfavorable sowing conditions in late 2023, and in part because farmers had poor experiences with overwintering from the 2022/2023 crop year. Reliable area data is not available because these acreages are statistically allocated as winter crops.

The average temperature in the 2023/2024 winter was 4.1 °C, which was 3.9 °C higher than the international reference value of 0.2 °C for the period 1961 to 1990. True winter episodes occurred only briefly in early December and during the second and third weeks of January, after which, on January 20, a cold center formed in the Allgäu. It peaked at -19.5 °C, but then flipped again. On February 16, for instance, the temperature in Rosenheim, Upper Bavaria, reached an incredible 18.8 °C. Not surprisingly, February 2024 felt more like April and broke all temperature records.

During the entire winter, precipitation amounted to about 270 l/m², which is 150 percent more than the 181 l/m² for the 1961-1990 reference period. Especially the northern parts of Germany were hard hit by historic December rainfalls, followed by an unusually wet season rarely interrupted by short intervals of snow. Only the higher elevations experienced more snow. While February 2024 had already set German temperature records, the subsequent month was the warmest March since the start of record-keeping in 1881. In some regions, sowing started in early March, but in many others, the soil remained waterlogged. This delayed sowing until early to mid-April, when temperatures already felt more like early summer.

Nonetheless, spring barley stocks have since evolved well to very well. Most are now at a stage that is appropriate for the season. The water supply in the soil is good to very good. However, because of the protracted sowing period, growth stages vary greatly. While early crops are already showing strong growth, late crops are just emerging.

The primary varieties under cultivation this year are Amidala, Lexy, and Leandra, as recommended by the Berlin Program. In addition, RGT Planet and several others are cultivated under contract.

Braugersten-Gemeinschaft e.V.