From Beyond The Grave – Is Zombie Barley The Next Big Wave In Agriculture?
When it comes to genetics, especially genetic modifications, you would think that we as a population would learn our lesson eventually. Between real life virus mutations across the world and Hollywood telling us stories involving monkeys, dinosaurs or cats, we should have this figured out! But because humans love pushing the envelope, we now may have to deal with "zombie barley"!
Who Were The Brilliant Minds Behind This?
It's hard to imagine a bunch of scientists sitting around talking beer and whiskey when suddenly one of them would venture the idea of bringing back old varieties of days long gone. While it may not have involved beverages at the time, that really is what scientists in Scotland are working on. According to the Robb Report, this isn't a new thing, they've been trying and partially succeeding at it, bring back barley varieties from the 1950's.
I'll Have What Charlie Was Drinking!
Imagine being able to saddle up to the bar and order the same type of drink that Charlie Russell would have had. Scientists are even trying to bring varieties of barley from as far back as 200 years! That may be the possibility, but don't expect it anytime soon. Those same scientists are working a 6 year plan just for the engineering of the barley, not counting getting it in the ground and growing.
Could Montana Be Looking At A New Cash Crop?
While it will be awhile before these are out on the market, Montana could stand to perhaps open a new market on this side of the pond. Most of the experimentation has been done with U.K. variants, and no mention of the States attempting this. According to Montana State University's statewide report, only about 6% of the crops in the state are that of barley. There may be a little wiggle room in there for "zombie barley" to be the next thing across the Big Sky!