History

Southwestern Asia seems to be rye’s place of origin although the area is not known precisely.  In the first millennium, rye was transferred to northern Europe where it spread to the rest of Europe.  During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans brought rye to North and South America with them.  From Europe, it continued to spread to Russia and Siberia.  Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, and South Africa first produced rye in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  While rye production is spread throughout the world, the largest producing areas are Germany, Poland, western Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Production and Use

Rye is an extremely hardy crop.  It can survive harsh winters, sandy soils with low fertility, and conditions that other cereal crops cannot.  In some cases, the production of rye offers the only chance of economic returns that the producer may have for the land.  Winter varieties of rye are much more common than spring varieties.  Agronomic characteristics and the end-use quality of winter rye are also better than spring rye.

Rye has many uses.  While the crop is in the field, it can be used to pasture livestock and to improve soil properties in crop rotations.  Its grain is fed to livestock and is used in alcohol distilling.  While the feed value of rye is lower than other crops, recent technological improvements in feed production have allowed a greater proportion of rye to be used in livestock feed.  Rye flour is used in breads and other baked goods.  Wheat and rye are the only cereal flours that can be used to make leavened bread.  However, rye dough does not have the elasticity and gas-retention properties that wheat has; therefore wheat is preferred to rye in high-volume bread production.  Rye is also used as livestock bedding and to manufacture strawboard.

The United States is a significant importer and producer of rye.  Other importers are China, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany.  Traditional preferences for rye bread in these areas fuel import demand.  Leading producers of rye include Poland, Germany, the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Ukraine.  Much of the rye production in the United States takes place in South Dakota and Minnesota.


Profile originally created August 2003.