Barley NYS Farm Crop Used For Livestock And Craft Beverages - Used As A Flour Or An Animal Feed, Barley Grain Can Be Dead And Still Be Nutritional, Like Any Grain. But For Malting, The Grains Must Still Be Alive – At Least 95 Percent Germinable – To Drive The Chain Reaction That Turns Starch Into Sugar Into Alcohol. This Is A Tricky Proposition In New York’s Wet Humid Climate Since Water Causes The Mature Grain To Sprout And Die Before Harvest. Photo