SaskBarley is part of a prairie coalition providing 2.7-million-dollars over five years for crop breeding at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

SaskBarley vice chair Brent Johnson of Strasbourg says the new five year project ensures farmers can expect new and improved barley varieties to stay competitive in the world market.

He says the goal is to see improved yields, disease resistance and end-use quality.

The last round of producer funding provided to the Crop Development Centre saw the registration of two new malting varieties, one feed variety and one hulless variety.

The Canadian Barley Research Coalition is the funding organization and includes barley groups from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta.