Barley and drought Dry Weather Has Created Challenges for Idaho Barley Growers Something that has been dominating the news lately is that the West is slowly but surely getting drier and warmer. And by drier, I mean drought conditions. It’s been a rough start to the season for barley growers in the Gem State. Idaho Barley Commission’s Wes Hubbard says it started out very similar to 2020, but this spring has been a disappointment. “It seems like we’re really dry right now. What I’m hearing, I think we’re OK as long as we get some rain soon but I’m hearing the same story all over the place. We really need rain and if we don’t get it, we’ll be in trouble.”