EDMONTON – If there is to be a future for oats, they’ll have to get naked.
Research scientist Vern Burrows, of Agriculture Canada in Ottawa, told an oat conference the key to returning the crop to its former greatness is in developing naked or hulless varieties that are more desirable in animal diets.
“A great boost of naked oats will come from the racehorse industry,” said Burrows, known to many as a hulless oat evangelist.
Burrows has developed 21 new oat varieties while at the Ottawa research station; 13 of them covered and eight hulless.
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“Vast tonnages of oats could be consumed by all the major racetracks in North America because oat is a favorite cereal grain for horses. The absence of hull leaves a groat that offers high metabolizable energy combined with high-quality protein,” he said.
There may also be potential for naked oats in pig and poultry diets. Burrows said some tests show an improved meat taste and texture from pigs fed naked oats.
While there is still reluctance by producers to adopt the naked oat, Burrows said eventually there will be some “venturesome farmers” willing to turn the industry around.
Ohaton, Alta., farmer Stewart Gilroy grows three varieties of naked oats. For him, it’s simple economics. He can pack more oats in a grain car when the inedible hull is removed.
“Why are we shipping all this dead weight across the nation?” asked Gilroy.
But Agriculture Canada scientist Brian Rossnagel said it’s not quite that simple. Without a protective covering, naked oats go rancid quickly.
“The raw oat groat is subject to spoilage,” said Rossnagel. “The hull is there for a really good reason.”
Hulls protect oats and keep the groats clean for processors. After a dehulling process at oat milling facilities, the oats are heat treated to prevent any rancidity.
Karl Gerrand, of Can-Oat Milling in Portage la Prairie, Man., said his firm is interested in naked oat varieties, but no one knows how to prevent seed deterioration.
Modern varieties of oats are bred with less hull. Traditionally the oat was about 30 percent hull. New varieties are less than 25 percent hull, said Rossnagel.
Naked oats would be a storage nightmare, he added. With their high oil content, oats would attract rodents, diseases and fungus, and would have to be processed soon after harvest for optimum quality.
