Canadian Wheat Board salespeople are having a tough time selling durum wheat because it lacks protein.
“Low protein this year is a real disaster from a marketing standpoint,” said Earl Geddes, the board’s program manager in market development.
Ideally durum protein should be close to 13.5 or 14 percent to grab premium prices. But a combination of rain, poor prices and not enough fertilizer has pushed average protein near 12 percent.
“There is a serious problem with the protein content,” said Jim Dexter, research scientist with the Canadian Grain Commission.
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“Durum protein content is extremely low.”
Canadian farmers grow about 4.5 million tonnes of the world market supply of six million tonnes, mainly in the brown and light brown soil zones of the southern Prairies.
The problem has the wheat board struggling to meet the protein requirements for some of its customers, said Geddes. Many customers, like Italian pasta processors, have strict levels. When durum is ground into semolina, the protein level drops about one percent.
“Those kind of markets are much more difficult to supply.”
Geddes said wheat board officials are working with the Prairie Protein Action Committee to address the problem. High fertility is key to high protein, but so is little rain. There is a correlation between protein and moisture. Dry years tend to produce high protein durum. High rainfall years like 1999 produce higher yields but lower protein.
Geddes said there is about a $22 per tonne difference between a 12 percent protein durum and 14 percent protein durum.
“It’s well worth the effort,” said Geddes.
Jim Pratt, Saskatchewan Agriculture representative in Swift Current, said low protein has been a serious problem for about five years.
“It’s difficult to find a recipe for assuring high protein. Weather still plays havoc in spite of all our efforts.”
Brad Levorson, a durum producer from Cabri, Sask., said he and other farmers have been fighting low protein for years.
“If we get high protein we consider it a bonus. It’s hard to fertilize to get that protein,” Levorson said.
Ed Allen, grains analyst with the United States Department of Agriculture, said while protein levels in American durum are low, they don’t seem to be as serious as in Canadian durum.
A North Dakota industry report said protein levels are down to 13.8 percent from last year’s 14.2 percent, but are up from the five-year average of 13.6 percent.
“This is not a great protein year. It’s been a problem in U.S. durum for years.”
Allen said most high quality durum is sold to American mills and doesn’t compete with the same export markets as Canadian high-end markets.
But American farmers are not getting premium prices for their durum.
“The average price returned to farmers in North Dakota is incredibly low.
“It gives you an idea that the wheat board is not making it up.”
