Highland Specialty Grains is a small barley breeding company founded in 2013 by Dan McKay, Don Sloan, Bryce McKay, and Mike McKay. It’s a close-knit venture, with family and friends in all the principal roles at the company. More than our relationships though, we’re tied together by a common purpose: merging a long-standing tradition of agricultural excellence with innovative techniques that will bring barley to the forefront of twenty-first century agriculture.
In November of 2013, Highland acquired barley germplasm from WestBred (a subsidiary of Monsanto) in order to jump-start our entry into the barley breeding field. The acquisition included established varieties such as Champion, Stockford, and BG-012. It has enabled Highland to develop and release a series of new and improved barley varieties.
Highland’s research program also includes crops that are complementary to our barley program. Those crops include buckwheat, mustard, quinoa, specialty wheat, and triticale.