However, increased consumer demand for craft beer and whiskey has led to an increased interest in barley production among Virginia grain producers. Over time, one of the greatest challenges with barley production has been the lack of a good market. If we know an important trait is on a certain chromosome, we can select for that trait in the lab at the seedling stage to improve disease resistance and other traits in our varieties,” Dr. “We are using DNA markers to select for critical traits that have been mapped to specific chromosome regions. For this reason, much of his research is focused on DNA and genomics for breeding. Griffey says there are currently no genetically modified traits in either wheat or barley. “Being on the coast, grain can either go through the export market or enter a variety of other domestic markets including the flour milling, malting, poultry and swine industries.”ĭr. “These industries are very significant to Virginia’s economy,” Dr. Griffey says it is an exciting and changing time for grain production. In 2014, Virginia farmers planted 260,000 acres of wheat and 56,000 acres of barley, according to latest U.S. Wysor professor of Crop Genetics and Breeding at Virginia Tech, has worked firsthand with both traditional and specialty varieties of wheat and barley for the past 27 years. Sorghum grain for livestock feed, wheat for milling and the growing malt barley industries all play key roles in contributing to the state’s economy.ĭr. The amber waves of grain that make up the fields of Virginia are at the heart of the state’s agriculture industry.

Golden grains farm