Farmers are not planning to add more pulse acres as long as nitrogen prices keep dropping.
That’s what farmers at the Canadian Pulse Research Workshop in Winnipeg said Nov. 6.
“Nitrogen probably won’t be as big a factor as it was (last spring), but producers will be watching very closely to see how the different commodities trade against each other,” said John Bennet, a Saskatoon pulse grower.
“Profitability comes from either reduced costs, which makes nitrogen an important part of the equation, or better commodity prices.”
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Soaring nitrogen fertilizer prices in early 2008 caused many producers across the Prairies to increase the acres of pulse crops they seeded because of those crops’ nitrogen-fixing abilities.
Nitrogen fertilizer is still expensive, but appears to be coming down and that’s a trend farmers expect to continue, Bennett said. Farmers are unlikely to boost pulse acreage from already elevated levels unless high fertilizer prices force their hand again.
“We’re really in a state of flux,” said Bennett.
“In the agricultural community the perception is that fertilizer prices will go down. Energy prices are going down. So nobody wants to hold a lot of inventory right now.”
Vauxhall, Alta., bean grower Jan Bennen said many farmers will keep their options open until close to seeding.
“A lot of decisions will be made at the beginning of spring. Fertilizer is one thing, but you have to find a market for it, too,” said Bennen.
“Fertilizer prices are coming down a bit and we’ll have to see what the market is offering.”
Because of last year’s extra seeding of pulse crops by some farmers, many won’t have the option to increase their acreage much further this year, Bennen said.
The pulse research workshop drew pulse growers and researchers from across the country to hear presentations on methods of dealing with environmental stresses, novel uses of pulse crops, plant breeding developments and other key concerns of the industry.
