Season 2, Episode 5: Bringing Better Barley to Western Canada – with Jim Anderson

Since 1984, Jim Anderson has been involved in the R&D program in what is now Nutrien Ag Solutions. Since that time, the program Jim has been working in has had 34 barley varieties supported for registration. The most successful varieties include: B1602 (malt), Winchester and Stetson (6-row, semi-dwarf, feed), Westford and Dillon (hooded, forage), Xena, Champion and Brahma (2-row, feed). Current varieties include Oreana (semi-dwarf), Claymore and Altorado (all 2-row, feed types). Altorado will be launched in 2022. Another four new varieties are being tested in regional trials. In our conversation we talk about Jim’s experiences with Nutrien and its predecessor companies, growing and developing barley varieties for prairie farmers. We delve into historical varieties, variety development and Jim’s passion for generating good quality data for farmers.