Craig Cramer
The Cornell Small Grains Breeding Program has announced the release of LakeEffect, the first winter malting barley released by the program in its 118-year history.
“We’re excited about LakeEffect because it couples the agronomic performance farmers want with the superior malting qualities brewers and distillers are looking for,” said Mark Sorrells, professor in Cornell’s School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS), who led the breeding effort.
“What’s truly remarkable is that we took this from first cross to commercial release in just seven years – which is incredibly fast to move a new variety to market,” he added.
Certified seed growers are expected to harvest seed crops for commercial growers in summer 2026 for fall 2026 planting. For more information on seed availability, contact the New York Seed Improvement Program at (607) 255-9869 or nysip@cornell.edu.
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