b'A Barley StoryAfter 17 years on the market, CDC Copeland has become extremely popular. We look back on the history of the variety and how it came to be so successful.Marc Zienkiewicz mzienkiewicz@issuesink.comERIC LEFOL REMEMBERSlook-ing at a new barley cultivar in 1995 and thinking there was something spe-cial about it. At the time a young barley breeder at the Crop Development Centre (CDC) in Saskatoon, Sask., he was assist-ing fellow breeders Bryan Harvey and Brian Rossnagel in picking out cultivars that looked promising.It was a very lovely, very good-look-ing variety. You could spot it in a trial right away. It was elegant, in a word, remem-bers Lefol, now 57 and serving as man-ager for the Fdration des francophones de Saskatoon.That variety would be named CDC Copeland and would come to domi-nate the brewing world along with AAC Metcalfe. Since then, CDC Copeland has been grown on over 10 million acresBrian Harvey was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2006.in Western Canada and has produced enough barley to brew 30 bottles of beerof the craft brewing industry, remembersfrom mass-produced pale lagers to all-for every person on earth. Bryan Harvey, whose program at the CDCmalt craft beer styles.developed the variety and who served as Early Days malt breeder at the time. Now 82, he hasSuccessIn the early years of the release of CDCsince retired. Brian Rossnagelthen addedIts done so well in the field, Rossnagel Copeland, it was not necessarily themalt barley to the feed, food and foragesays, now 67. Only some more recent malt quality that drove its market sharebreeding aspects of the CDC program.varieties are agronomically better from a increases. It was strong agronomics.He now too has retired, and Aaron Beattiefarmers point of view.Farmers began growing CDC Copelandis the current barley breeder at the CDC. When we applied for registration, sev-as it provided a true dual purposeitAfter creating CDC Harrington, malt- eral people from the malting and brew-offered strong grain or silage yield alongsters and brewers wanted a high enzymeing committee said, Yeah, its a nice little with the potential for use as malt. profile. I expected Copeland to occupyvariety, but we dont think it will go very The key was the absence of an agro- maybe 25% of the acres, but I was sur- far. Its gone a lot further than anyone nomic downside for growing the variety.prised how far it went, Harvey adds. thought.This allowed for a slow steady growthIn the Canadian malting and brewingAnd therein lies the rub, as the and product availability until the end-useworld, CDC Copeland is now king, rivalledsaying goes. Rossnagel notes that CDC market was fully ready to embrace theonly by AAC Metcalfe. Copeland is prizedCopeland has become a victim of its variety as a mainstream malt variety. by both large adjunct brewers as well asown success. In the world of brewing, old I didnt think it would be so big at first.smaller craft brewers for its versatilityhabits die hard, and both maltsters and CDC Copeland came out before the risein creating the base for beer of all kinds,brewersto say nothing of farmers14/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2020'