Yara and Viking Malt cooperate to reduce the carbon footprint of malt

The goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of malting barley significantly (up to 25 %) by using low-carbon footprint fertilizers and precision agriculture technology in combination with levering Viking Malts expertise in barley science and malting.

The carbon footprint of malting barley production will be monitored on reference farms. Targets will be set for farms based on the results, and operational recommendations will be communicated to all farms supplying to Viking Malt. The carbon footprint will be calculated using the Cool Farm Tool programme, in whose development Yara has participated.

The production of high-quality malting barley in a varied climate poses a challenge. Yara has developed precision fertilization solutions that make it possible to target the use of nitrogen depending on the conditions of the growing season. This makes it easier for the farmer to attain the desired protein levels and improve nitrogen use efficiency. Employing a modern fertilization strategy makes it possible to harness the full yield potential of new malting barley varieties while simultaneously controlling protein levels. This will also enhance quality consistence of the barley.

“Our customers are both quality and environmentally aware. We want to contribute to the reduction our products’ climate impact. Our efforts start in the very beginning of the chain. This is a good addition to the resource efficiency improvements ongoing in our malting plants” says Kasper Madsen, CEO and Group Managing Director of Viking Malt.

In addition to improving the precision of farming operations, it is also important to use fertilizers whose manufacturing carbon footprint is as small as possible. Yara’s fertilizers have a small carbon footprint thanks to the introduction of cutting-edge catalyst technology.

“Our cooperation with Viking Malt is an important part of Yara's farmer-centric strategy to offer sustainable crop nutrition solutions that support farmer profitability through crop knowledge, quality and productivity. The control of nitrogen use and the improved quality of the malting barley yield meet both these criteria.

By entering into cooperation, we wish to speed up the introduction of modern fertilization methods to farms in the markets,” says Business Development Director Europe, Jari Pentinmäki of Yara.

The Cool Farm Tool is an online application that farmers can use free of charge to calculate the carbon footprint, water usage and biodiversity impact of their agricultural operations. Yara is a member of the alliance behind the service. https://coolfarmtool.org/ (External link).