BASF co-creates with partners to deliver better malting barley

BASF co-creates with partners along the barley value chain to deliver better malting barley with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

• Co-creation along the malting barley value chain enables farmers to produce high quality malting barley while meeting sustainability demands of consumers in times of climate change.
• Advanced agronomic models from BASF’s xarvio® FIELD MANAGER with John Deere’s sensor technology allow efficient fertilizer use to field-specific needs.
• “Better Barley” project supports BASF’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% per ton of crop produced.

Limburgerhof, Germany; September 13, 2022 – BASF Agricultural Solutions has initiated the “Better Barley” project with partners across the malting barley value chain to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in barley production while supporting farmers to meet the high quality standards for malting barley.

To be suitable for the malting industry, barley needs to be grown with a protein level between 9.5 and 11.5%, which is mainly defined by the use of fertilizers in the field. On the other hand, nitrogen fertilizers account for more than 50% of the field born greenhouse gas emissions.

Together with partners such as agricultural machinery manufacturer John Deere and Welde brewery, BASF supports farmers to reduce their fertilizer use while producing yields that meet the high-quality requirements by maltsters and brewers. The project has already been implemented in two growing seasons on a total of more than 25 hectares. Field trials in Germany from 2021 have shown that quality specifications of breweries have been met while greenhouse gas emissions per ton of barley produced could be reduced, contributing to BASF’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% per ton of crop produced.

“We brew beer with high quality ingredients. For us, high quality also means sustainable. Therefore, we got together with BASF, local farmers and maltsters. By working together across the whole value chain, we can reduce the carbon footprint of the barley we use in our brewery by more than 10%”, explains Max Spielmann, Managing Director at Welde brewery.

“We are convinced that precision farming technology and innovation are key to the transformation towards a more resilient and sustainable agriculture”, says Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions EMEA and CIS. “Better Barley is a great example of how our solutions help growers to address pressing climate challenges with the right combination of technologies that increase yields, contribute to efficient farm management, and reduce environmental impacts.”

By using advanced agronomic models and variable rate application maps from BASF’s xarvio^® north_east Agronomic Decision Engine (ADE) with John Deere’s sophisticated sensor technology, fertilizer can be adjusted and applied for field-specific needs. Nitrification inhibitors by BASF reduce the nitrous oxide emissions by 50% on average and improve availability of nitrogen for the plants, thus maximizing efficiency while optimizing fertilizer input. Harvest sensing by John Deere additionally analyzes yield volume, protein data for final calculation of nitrogen use efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Stefan Stahlmecke, Regional Director at John Deere, explains why the right measurements to track the success of the project are crucial: “Agriculture is all about connecting the right partners. In the end, all of these partners need to work together in order to get the best results and be able to measure them. Our solutions help farmers to show that the protein level of the harvested barley is right, and the nutrient efficiency is high, thanks to BASF’s solutions. These are important proof points when delivering high quality products to maltsters.”

The co-creation approach like Better Barley goes along BASF’s ambition to support sustainable agriculture, supporting growers in the transition and reducing their field emissions. BASF Agricultural Solutions has committed to north_east boost sustainable agriculture by 2030 , with one of its targets to help farmers achieve a 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions per ton of crop produced. To increase the impact of the integrated production system, BASF is planning to scale up the project with more partners along the value chain in the next years.

BASF will present the Better Barley project at the north_east drinktec trade fair from September 12 – 16 in Munich, Germany, exhibition booth A5.703. At the trade fair, BASF will also present north_east Divergan^® RS , a cross-linked polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) used in the application of beer, which provides another example of how BASF can support brewers to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Divergan® RS is a regenerable beer stabilizer with a ratio of approximately 1:50 compared to one-time use PVPP and thus, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from polymerization and waste in the breweries.