South Peace Historical Society

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  • Table of Contents

    • Part 1: First Nations of the Peace River Region
    • Part 2: The Fur Trade Era
    • Part 3: Transportation and Communication
    • Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land
    • Part 5: Dawson Creek: The Story of the Community
    • Part 6: Mysteries, Adventures and Indian Legends
    • Part 7: Arts, Crafts and Recreation
    • Part 8: Agriculture
    • Part 9: Church Histories
    • Part 10: Schools
    • Part 11: Health Care
    • Part 12: Industries and Enterprises
    • Part 13: Policing the Peace
    • Part 14: Pouce Coupe, Rolla, and Other South Peace Communities
    • Part 15: Chetwynd and the Fort St. John Area
    • Part 16: The Alberta Peace
    • Part 17: Natural History of the Peace River Region
    • Part 18: Interviews with Old Timers
    • Part 19: Remembering Our Veterans

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BN08-07: Berge Wins Barley Award

Recent History – 1998

By Mark Nielsen, Daily News Staff, Dec. 22, 1998

While he’s been having a tough time getting a decent price, Rolla farmer Garnet Berge recently won a prestigious award for the six-row malting barley he grew in his fields this year. Berge’s entry was chosen as the best among those sent in to the Barley Development Council by farmers in Alberta and B.C.

Adding to the achievement is the fact that it’s usually quite difficult to grow a quality malt barley in this area. When Berge realized the quality of what was sprouting out of his fields, he thought he’d see how it faired against what is grown in the rest of the country.

“It was good quality and the competition was there, so I thought I would enter,” he said.

For his efforts, Berge was presented with a scenic picture of a farm site — made mostly out of barley stocks. He also had a chance to go to Regina to pick up the award, but he already had something else planned before he was told he was a winner. But he will get a chance to go to Winnipeg at the end of February for three or four days. He and the other winners will get a tour of a malting plant and a grain exchange as part of the visit.

Malting barley is used mostly to make beer, and the award was sponsored by Labatt’s and the Canadian Wheat Board.

Even though the price for barley has taken a dive, Berge said he’s still glad to see such quality being grown in the Peace. “It’s a lot better than feed barley,” he said.

 

This article is taken from the Peace River Block Daily News, Dawson Creek, with the permission of the publisher. The Daily News retains all rights relating to this material. The information in this article is intended solely for research or general interest purposes.

« BN08-06: Wheat Board Candidates Divided Over Dual Marketing

BN08-08: Forage AGM Informative and Fun »

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