BRANDON, Man. – There could be a lucrative market shaping up for farmers who still have medium to high quality lentils in their bins.
Doug Bartmanovich, marketing manger for Wheat City Seeds in Glenboro, Man., is telling farmers to stop thinking soup and start thinking seed as a way to sell their old-crop lentils.
Bartmanovich told farmers attending a seminar here last week that lentils on the Prairies should cover 900,000 acres in 1994 – about the same as last year. But because of a gnerally poor 1993 crop, certified seed supplies could be tight.
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That will prompt producers to consider using common seed either from their own bins or purchased from their neighbors.
“As we get closer to seeding time we’ll find out what the supply is,” he said. “But common No. 1 lentils could pay 40 cents a pound or higher.”
That would be nearly double the price of lentils sold for export this year.
Bartmanovich said even lentils grading No. 2 or extra No. 3 could find a home in the seed market, provided they have been tested for germination and cleaned. Cleaning could also be enough to raise the grade. This would be well worth the extra cost if seed supplies are short, he said.
Farmers looking to pre-price new crop through a contract will see prices for Lairds in the 18-cent-per-pound rnage and for Estons at around 24 cents per pound, he said.
As for peas, Bartmanovich expects new-crop contracts to differ little from last year, despite another huge increase in acreage this year.
Pea acres could reach two million this year, up from 1.3 million acres sown in 1993, he said. The main reason is that 40-bushel peas at $4 a bu. still pay better than wheat.
“If prices strengthen for cereals, peas might lose acres,” he said.
Farmers looking for contracts can expect prices for yellows to be about $4.50 per bu. Green food peas should be aout the same. Feed peas will contract at about $4 per bu., her predicted.
A new option for some farmers this year will be growing Linola. Limited quantities of the new flaxseed, which produces edible oil, will be available under contract.
John Dean, product development manager for United Grain Growers, said the company will shortly be establishing the price to growers.
“It’s not going to be less than the value of flaxseed and we hope it will be a bit more,” he said.
