Disease threatens to destroy the barley industry in the Midwest, an official says.
Barley is used primarily in animal feed and as an ingredient in beer."I think we're on the verge of losing an industry here," said John Mittleider, executive administrator for the North Dakota Barley Council.
Scab, a fungus that attacks grain heads especially hard during periods of high humidity and cool temperatures, has reduced the amount of acceptable malting barley in the region to about 40 million bushels, Mittleider said. That's a drop of about 60 percent.