The Lexington Advertiser

The history of barley is almost as old as that of agriculture. It is believed to have originated in Asia and to have been grown in Egypt nearly 70 centuries ago. The cereal is mentioned in the Bible and mythology and dates back to 3500 B.C. in Mesopotamia, 3000 B.C. in Europe, and 2000 B.C. in China.

Barley has the shortest growing season of any cereal and because of this can be grown in the cool climate of Norway or in hot dry Morocco.

Although used primarily for livestock feed in the United States, barley is an important item in the human diet in parts of Africa and Asia.

Barley is one of the oldest known grains.

Since antiquity, barley has been used in the brewing of beer, and today nearly all beer is made from it. More than 85 million bushels are consumed in the U.S. annually for alcohol and alcoholic beverages as compared with about 230 million bushels for livestock-feed.

The U.S. leads the world in barley production, followed by France, Canada, the United Kingdom, West Germany, and Turkey. North Dakota, California, Montana, Minnesota, and Washington are our top barley producing states.