Winnipeg, Nov. 2 – The cold, wet weather that has downgraded the quality of some of Canada’s main staple crops isn’t having the same effect on mustard, according to two experts on the specialty crop.
While much of this year’s harvest is already over, a significant number of acres still remain in Saskatchewan and Alberta, said Walter Dyck of Olds Products in Lethbridge.
“I don’t disagree with that 20 percent number at all. I think there’s that much left in the fields,” he said, referring to general estimates of how much Western Canadian crops, including mustard, are left to be harvested.
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Rain fell onto the southern half of Alberta last week, while hot and dry conditions persisted in the northern half, according to the province’s crop report released on July 18.
Drier weather has pushed into the Prairies however, giving farmers hope they will be able to get more crops off before the winter arrives.
“The fields are saturated and there’s so much moisture in the air. Seems to be we get one warm day and that’s enough to bring a shower overnight and then you’re back to square one,” noted Richard Marleau, chairman of the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission.
Being an oilseed, mustard hasn’t experienced as much deterioration as most other crops but is prone to a bit of shelling, he added.
As far as prices go, both men say the market for the three varieties of mustard, oriental, yellow and brown is near 30 cents a pound.
Dyck says of the 125,000 tonnes Canada typically exports, most will go to the U.S. While growers in the U.S. planted a bit more mustard this year he doesn’t see it changing the export ratio.
Marleau says demand for Canadian mustard remains steady. Yields should be similar to last year.
“From what I’m hearing yields might be in the 800 to 900 pounds an acre, he said. Last year’s acreage on average was about 850 pounds.”
Statistics Canada says mustard seeded area on the Prairies was 525,000 acres, up considerably from the 2015 total of 345,000 acres.
