An amendment to the federal Farm Bill passed by the House and Senate is intended to support farmers and the craft beer industry.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, says the language directs the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to document barley production in New York.
The Senator says that would ensure producers have valuable information to decide on future plantings and that the information could eventually help farmers obtain crop insurance for barley crops.
While barley is an ingredient in most beers, Gillibrand says breweries in the state can struggle to find enough locally grown barley to meet demand.
