Centaur Grain is opening-up further value-added markets for English spring cereal growers this season with a new contract for the UK-bred euro barley, Prestige.

Having secured outlets for home-grown Prestige with two of Europe’s biggest malting barley buyers as well as two domestic maltsters, the leading farmer-owned grain company is offering access to both home and export markets through the contract allowing the variety to be grown in areas well away from domestic consumers.

“More than ever, the real value in quality cereals today lies in growing varieties readily-accepted by your customers as close to them as possible,” stressed Centaur Grain malting barley co-ordinator, Adrian Fisher.

“Otherwise, haulage costs can easily be prohibitive; as anyone growing Tavern on the south coast in the past found to their cost. With no real export value, the variety only ever had a real home amongst East Anglian maltsters serving the domestic market, and they were simply too far away to be supplied cost-effectively.”

Although Prestige was only added to the UK Recommended List in 2003, Adrian Fisher explains there is a well-established market for the variety across continental Europe. Since being taken-up enthusiastically by the major malt-growing countries over the past three years, it has rapidly become a firm lager-brewers’ favourite throughout Europe.
“On the back of this and successful micro-malting of 2003 UK harvest samples, we have obtained excellent commitments for exports from our silos at Sharpness, Southampton and Shoreham,” he said. “To meet them and domestic demand for the variety, we are looking to contract a substantial tonnage of Prestige for 2004 from growers in all regions”

With these prospects, Adrian Fisher sees the variety’s yield and agronomic potential making it a good choice alongside current favourite, Optic in export regions in particular.

At the same time, he points to Centaur’s success in developing enhanced premium markets for long-standing breadwheat, Hereward as evidence of what growers can achieve by producing varieties specifically sought by consumers and developing partnerships with them for mutual, long-term benefit.

“Scottish experience over several seasons has shown Prestige’s high specific weight and particularly low screenings make for excellent marketability with very little extra cost or attention,” noted Adrian Fisher.

”Add to this commercial yields in excess of 7.4 t/ha, greater standing power, lower brackling, earlier maturity and first class mildew and brown rust resistance; and there’s a compelling case for growing the variety far more widely” he insisted. “This is precisely what we are setting out to encourage with our 2004 contracts.”