Barley, Cultivation Type : Natural

An Introduction
Barley is a cereal grain used in large proportions as an animal feed, while the rest is used as a malt in whiskey or sugar as well as health food. Barley belongs to the family of 'poaceae', a plant commonly known as grass. It is available in a variety of forms like whole barley, hulled barley, pearled barley as well as barley flakes. It is a rich source of metals like zinc, copper, phosphorous, etc. as well as other nutrients like calcium and iron.

Uses of Barley
Barley commands a wide range of usage. Some of these uses are: 
1. Animal Feed: Barley, being a good source of protein, is used as a feed for the livestock. The barley used as an animal feed is either rolled, grounded, flaked or pelleted. These products are given in the form of grain, silage, or straw to dairy cattle. The by-products of malted barley are also used in the form of animal feed

2. Human Consumption: A wide variety of barley products are known to be suitable for human consumption. These include porridge, muesli, cookies, etc. made of barley flakes, cereals made of barley bran, and muffins, cookies, breads, pasta, etc. made of barley flour
3. Malted Barley: Barley is malted to be used in alcoholic beverages like , etc. Apart from this, the malted barley is also used as flavors, sweeteners, malt extracts, malt flours, etc.
4. Other Uses: Apart from being used as an eatable, barley is also used in many other fields like industries and agriculture. The barley straw is used to make the bed for the livestock, while bales of barley are used in making paper, fiberboard, etc. The starch present in barley is used in making paper, paper starch based detergents, bio-degradable plastics, etc. 
Composition of Barley
Barley is the world's most nutritional crop and is recommended for children during their growing up stage. This is because barley contains many elements that are rich sources of health and energy. The composition of barley, excluding the percentage of salt, gives a general idea about its uses in every day life. Barley contains about 15% water, 12.98% of nitrous compounds, 6.74% of gum, 3.2 % of sugar, 60% (approx.) of starch and 2.2% of fat.
Benefits of Barley
Barley is considered to be the most nutritional cereal, comprising of the right quantity of all the vital nutrients. Fiber contains two types of nutrients, namely, soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber helps in lowering the level of cholesterol by eliminating the fatty acids, while the insoluble fiber keeps the digestive system in a proper order, thereby avoiding the risk of dreadful diseases like colon cancer. Pearl barley is a rich source of protein, fiber and other nutrients, and helps in maintaining health and vitality. Barley water is known to have many medicinal properties and helps in quick healing of many diseases and ailments.
The carbohydrates present in barley help in the regulation of the glucose level. Since barley has fiber levels, five times more than that of the other whole grains, it helps in steadying the sugar level as well. Barley is filled with many important nutrients like Vitamin B, Vitamin E and folic acid. Another major benefit of having barley is that it helps in reducing the body weight, as it makes a food appetite suppressant, making one feel filled and satisfied. 
Products Made of Barley
Barley, grows from a seed of a ripe plant which is almost 1 meter tall. Using the different parts of the plant, a wide variety of products can be made. For example, the grain or kernel of the the plant is used to make flour, flakes, etc. The barley grain in this case, is milled by crushing the seed kernel and segregating the inside part of the kernel, known as endosperm, where the food is stored from the outside part known as bran. To make the flour, the endosperm is then grounded in a fine manner.
Barley grain can also be polished or pearled by removing the hull which is inedible from the kernel. From this process, we get a product known as pearl barley and pot barley. The straw of barley is used to make dry fodder for the livestock, which is obtained by removing the head that hold the grain kernel. Apart from being used as a fodder, it is also used in making building material, paper, newsprint and fiberboard.
Another product that we get from barley is termed as barley grit which is obtained from pearled or whole grain barley  kernel and is cut into small pieces. The kind of barley used in making d as flavors and sweeteners is known as malted barley. To get the malted barley, the barley kernels are soaked and dryed and are then germinated or sprouted in a controlled environment.