U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2007





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Pesticide Drift May Endanger Pollinators
- ARS Seeks a Fire Ant Fix
- Scientific Discoveries 2024
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 Artist's rendering of the new Cereal Crops Research Laboratory. Artist's rendering of the new Cereal Crops Research Laboratory.The Cereal Crops Research Unit is the countrys only research facility that evaluates the malting quality of barley cultivars. Barley malt is used to make breakfast cereals, baked goods and beer. Here, plant physiologist Allen Budde examines malt partway through the kilning process.For further readingEnzymes boost alcohol productionBarley bred for candymakers, brewmastersand moreRice gene could help "blast" killer fungus New USDA Cereal Crops Laboratory Dedicated By Erin Peabody  April 5, 2007 MADISON, Wis., April 5The U.S. Department of Agriculture today dedicated a state-of-the-art research laboratory where scientists will work to improve barley, oats and other cereal crops. The new facility will be operated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency. "This laboratory has been the country's only public research facility for evaluating malting barley cultivars based on their quality and usefulness," said ARS Associate Administrator Antoinette Betschart. "For nearly 75 years, it has provided an important link between barley growers, plant breeders and the malting and brewing industries. This new facility will further strengthen this function." In fact, most of the malting barley cultivars that Americans encounter in foodstuffs or beverages have, at one time or another, been scrutinized by ARS cereal researchers in Madison. Barley malt, which contains natural sugars, can be found in a variety of foods, including breakfast cereals and bakery goods. It is the basic fermentable ingredient in beer. The new Cereal Crops Research Unit (CCRU) building is located on more than three acres of federal land on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Built at a cost of $11 million, it will house 35 employees, including seven scientists and their staff. In addition to Betschart, speakers at today's event included U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin; Steven Shafer, ARS Midwest Area director; Cynthia Henson, research leader, CCRU; Irwin Goldman, vice dean of the University of Wisconsin's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; and Michael Davis of the American Malting Barley Association. In addition to the critical service that CCRU scientists provide barley breeders, ARS researchers in Madison are working to better understand the biochemical processes that control the conversion of starch into sugars, which is a crucial value-added trait for malting barleys. They're also focused on identifying health-promoting compounds found in oats and barley, and on better ways to bolster cereal crops against attack from persistent and costly fungal diseases, like Fusarium head blight on barley and blast on rice. The new CCRU facility has double the square footage of the original laboratory, which was built in 1948. It will provide the ARS scientists with needed research and office space, including an up-to-date laboratory for fulfilling the unit's important function of evaluating malting barley.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov