Almost all barley grown in Ontario is consumed domestically, with 56% of the crop being directed toward the livestock feed market. Livestock producers use barley as a high-energy feed grain due to its digestibility and nutrient content. The next largest use of the crop is processing for pet food and human consumption, which combined account for 42% of market use. Although these are distinct processing segments, available data do not separately quantify pet food and human consumption. Stakeholders do report, however, that pet food processing is likely the larger for the two segments. In pet food applications, fibre content of barley supports digestive health in dogs and cats. Although human consumption represents a smaller share of the market, food applications include a variety of processed barley products such as de-hulled, pearled, toasted and flaked barley, which, for human consumption, are valued for their nutritional benefits, including high levels of dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals. A small amount of barley grown in Ontario is used for seed (2%). Only very small amounts of barley grown in Ontario are exported (under 1%). BARLEY Barley production in Ontario is relatively small when compared to other grain commodities grown in the province. On average, 111,000 metric tonnes are produced on 77,000 acres each year.
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