Preharvest sprouting of malting barley causes substantial commercial losses to the grain industry. The use of dormant barley varieties could reduce the risk of weather damage, but dormancy and water sensitivity are undesirable during malting. Storage conditions largely determine the rate of postharvest breakdown of dormancy and water sensitivity. This process may take months, to the disadvantage of handlers and maltsters. Our research has identified several options for managing barley dormancy to provide opportunities to malt and export barley earlier. This would open the door to the use of more dormant barley varieties to reduce preharvest sprouting. The use of agricultural chemicals to break dormancy before or after storage is one possible option. Alternatively, the use of dry heat is an attractive option avoiding market sensitivities to chemical use. Finally, by manipulating the storage process, postharvest dormancy breakdown can be accelerated without compromising barley quality. Here we present preliminary results of a threeyear project that aims to understand the interaction between storage conditions, barley quality and dormancy.