Sam Henzel thinks the decision was a lot more than good. He believes Mundt's early warning and the commission's response to it were crucial to southern Oregon's barley industry. This area's first serious infestation was in 1995. The grains commission getting involved early on, along with OSU, was the most important thing. It prevented the situation from getting into horrific losses.
Growers produce feed barleys for livestock and malting barleys for use in the brewery industry.
Malting barleys have higher market value, but feed barleys comprise most of Oregon's barley production. Barley stripe rust hit Klamath Basin growers much harder than the barley growers further north. This happened for two reasons, according to Karow. And second, most Klamath Basin growers plant barley annually, which helps the disease survive in the field year after year. Growers in the northern counties often plant barley in rotation with winter wheat crops.