A couple of local farmers are busy growing barley. Commonplace as that sounds, though, the circumstances of their work are actually quite unique.
Richard Davis and Gerald Girodat, both of the Shaunavon area, are currently participating in a unique commercial contract with a popular Japanese beer company, Sapporo Brewing.
Under what is called a Collaborative Contract Farming System (CCFS), the two are growing a new variety of malt barley this season called CDC Polarstar, which has been specially developed through gene-modification to increase the shelf-life and improve the freshness of Sapporo's beer.
Girodat, a certified seed grower, initially grew CDC Polarstar for seed production before pursuing commercial contracting of the variety this year. It was he who also supplied the seed to Davis through Viterra. “It’s a good variety that seems to be well-adapted to this area. It produces reasonably good yields and is usually a good quality,” Girodat explained.
The CCFS essentially exists between grower, malter and brewer. “Contract Farming” refers to understanding the barley’s grower, yard and cultivation method, while “Collaborative” means that Sapporo Breweries and its growers have closer communication and cooperate with each other in order to grow high-quality ingredients and to, therefore, pursue making a more satisfying beer.
“Through an Identity Preserved (I.P.) process like this, the barley quality is traceable back to the farm. That, along with food safety, are important factors for the Japanese,” explained Davis, who farms southeast of Shaunavon and had taken part in a similar one-year deal with Sapporo back in 2005.
Part of what ensures the system’s effectiveness is an expectation that the farmer will keep a diary of all activities that occur in the field – when it is seeded and sprayed, what fertilizer is used, weather information, etc.
Once harvested, the crop goes to Prairie Malt, based in Biggar, and is then supplied to Sapporo while marketed through the Canadian Wheat Board.
Though the growing conditions and techniques used for CDC Polarstar are largely the same as other malt barleys, involving good agronomic practices, there are some differences to working under Sapporo’s contract. “The big difference here is that you know who your end customer is,” said Davis.
“The brewer is also involved throughout the process, from any pre-seeding planning right through to harvest. From that perspective it’s very unique. I’ve never had a buyer come out and inspect fields with me before,” he continued.
Both Girodat and Davis are hopeful that their efforts will prove successful and, ultimately, beneficial.
“Malt barley is always a tricky one to get selected and ultimately delivered. So we’re hoping this will streamline it for us. It wasn’t risky to try this, and we’re always looking for something to give us a slight economic advantage in this business,” said Davis.
“Under this contract, it’s a market opportunity that we wouldn’t have with some other malt barley varieties, as Sapporo is willing to take 100% of the crop if it meets their quality criteria,” commented Girodat.
Neither farmer, however, is sure of what the contract’s outcome will be for this season. Difficult weather conditions and high levels of moisture early this spring have caused some challenges.
“It’s only my first year under the contract and the barley’s still in the field,... so the jury’s still out on how well this will work out for me,” commented Davis. “The proof will be in the selection and ultimately in the movement of the barley.”