This is a make-or-break year for the U.S. pulse industry, says one of Western Canada’s largest independent specialty crop exporters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says American growers planted 42 percent more peas and 22 percent more lentils than they planted in 2003. Those crops will be facing fierce competition from what some expect to […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Powdery mildew lurks in Alberta
Powdery mildew is showing up on the leaves of pea crops in east-central and northern Alberta, raising red flags for growers who saw a massive outbreak of the disease in 2003. While the infection rate appears to be much lower than the same time last year, conditions are rife for a resurgence of the disease. […] Read more
Rain brings ample hay
With the American border closed to Canadian cattle, producers have larger herds. So reports of ample feed supplies should come as welcome news. For the first time in years, prairie farmers are pleased with their first cut of hay. As the initial forage period winds down, producers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are reporting above average […] Read more
Pulse producers optimistic about new ag minister
The special crops industry thinks it might have a special connection with the new federal agriculture minister. As former secretary of state for rural development, Andy Mitchell is aware of how the pulse processing sector drives economic activity in many small prairie communities. “From that perspective I think we’ve got a bit of a head […] Read more
Co-op hits hurdle over pesticide-free crops
The pesticide-free crop movement has been sprayed with a dose of bad news. A Manitoba co-operative attempting to generate price premiums for crops certified to be free of pesticides has had a setback. “We’re really struggling right now,” said Scott Day, secretary-treasurer of the Pesticide Free Production Farmers Co-operative Ltd. “We just got word from […] Read more
Chickpea trial saves chemical costs
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – An Agriculture Canada researcher thinks he may have discovered a management technique to help control ascochyta blight in chickpeas. “I feel kind of optimistic about this thing,” said Yantai Gan, a scientist at the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre in Swift Current. He is experimenting with an alternate seeding trial that […] Read more
Special crop farmers pay for delayed containers
Prairie farmers are paying for rail car unloading delays at the West Coast, says a Saskatchewan special crops shipper. Vicki Dutton, managing partner of Western Grain Cleaning and Processing Ltd., said railway demurrage charges are adding up as cars full of product waiting to be stuffed into marine containers sit idle in Vancouver. Railways give […] Read more
Prairie farmers tend not to buy certified seed
With the exception of a few crops and geographic regions, little certified seed is being planted in the prairie grain belt. A study conducted by the market research firm Blacksheep Strategy Inc. shows low use of certified seed, particularly in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Between 10 and 20 percent of the wheat, barley, oat and pea […] Read more
Deals shake up pulse industry
One of the newer players in the Saskatchewan pulse scene is undergoing a dramatic expansion, signalling the beginning of a much-anticipated reorganization of the sector. Saskcan Pulse Trading Inc. bought the assets of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool’s seed cleaning plant in Rosetown, Sask., on June 24. The company has also struck a separate deal to act […] Read more
Farmers flock to special crops
It is shaping up to be a special year for special crops. Statistics Canada’s June crop estimate said growers planted record lentil, field pea and canaryseed acres in 2004. They also seeded a lot more dry beans than anticipated. Lentils showed the biggest increase over 2003, rising 37 percent to 1.85 million acres, followed by […] Read more
