Black Oats (Avena strigosa)
Bere and black oats were the main cereal crops grown in Orkney up to the start of the 20th Century and both could produce crops on land where new varieties failed or did not perform well. Black oats were mainly grown as an animal feed. They have a high protein content and have also been used as a high energy feed for working horses. The straw is very durable and is used for making the backs of traditional Orkney chairs.

Murkle Oats (Avena sativa)
This variety of oats apparently originated from the Murkle district of Caithness.

Winston and Fiia (Avena sativa)
These are two modern varieties which are being grown in collaboration with Barony Mill to investigate their suitability for local markets. Fiia is a Finnish variety.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Wheat is not a crop which is normally grown in Orkney, but in collaboration with a European TRACE project the Institute is growing 6 different spring wheat varieties (‘Anniina’, ‘Ashby’, ‘Belvoir’, ‘Chablis’, ‘Paragon’ and ‘Tybalt’) in small plots. Larger areas of ‘Anniina’ and ‘Paragon’ are also being grown to investigate their potential for producing a local flour for baking in collaboration with Barony Mill and JF Groundwater, Baker & Grocer.