# ‘Contraction’ is biggest challenge of barley industry | Capital Press

> Ashley McFarland, new American Malting Barley Association president, says contraction is the biggest challenge for the malting barley industry as beer and spirits volumes decline. She expects declines to plateau and does not foresee much change in malting barley production.

- Date: 2026-01-22 · published 2026-01-22T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: market · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/21125-contraction-is-biggest-challenge-of-barley-industry-capital-press
- Commodities: [Barley](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARLEY.md)

## Why it matters

Falling malting demand adds to the supply of feed-grade barley, which is a bearish factor for barley prices.

## Read by commodity

- BARLEY: bearish ▼

## Sources

- capitalpress.com: https://capitalpress.com/2026/01/22/contraction-is-biggest-challenge-of-barley-industry/

---
Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.