Ontario farmer heads new organization | He says soybeans may some day rival canola acreage in Western Canada
THAMESVILLE, Ont. — The recently named chair of Soy Canada hopes his interest in market development will prove helpful as Canadian acreage of the oilseed crop increases.
Mark Huston, who farms near Thamsville with his father, uncle and cousin, said some industry players feel soybeans could one day rival canola as Canada’s No. 1 oilseed crop. Close to six million acres were planted this year, according to Statistics Canada.
“They think it could be much higher than that in the next five to 10 years, possibly even doubling,” Huston said.
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“Saskatchewan and Alberta (and Manitoba) is where a lot of the growth potential is.… As you get different varieties that are adapted to the climate, you’ll start seeing more and more acres there.”
The Hustons farm in a region where soybeans have been grown for decades, and at three million acres is the largest crop in Ontario.
Manitoba follows with 1.3 million acres, while Quebec, the former No. 2 province, has close to 900,000 acres. Saskatchewan is fourth with 300,000 acres.
Huston said the acreage potential in Ontario and Quebec has been reached.
He said growing soybeans on the same ground two years in a row is a poor choice from an agronomic perspective because increased disease and insect pressure reduces yield potential.
The Hustons lean toward a five-year, corn-soybean-corn-soybean-wheat rotation on their 1,300-acre farm, but sometimes soybeans are doubled up.
Two factors encourage farmers to grow soybeans on soybeans.
- Corn or soybeans are the most likely alternatives if winter wheat can’t be planted in fall in a timely manner because of the weather.
- The marketplace has favoured the oilseed crop in recent years.
Huston said his family weighs their own marketing options carefully.
With corn, there’s a choice between Greenfield Ethanol at Chatham, Ont., the sweetener and industry processor Ingredion Canada at London, whisky-maker Hiram Walker in Windsor and other buyers.
With soybeans, the family has opted for glyphosate-tolerant varieties, but every year they weigh the premium potential of non-genetically modified food-grade production.
Marketing soybeans overseas is even more challenging. Huston said working through trade barriers is a big part of Soy Canada’s work.
For example, Malaysia is proposing phytosanitary restrictions.
Gord Pugh from the council’s Ottawa office said two weed seeds, one fungus and several bacteria have been cited as concerns.
“The weeds are lambs quarters and jimson weed. The fungus is downy mildew,” Pugh said.
“We certainly believe that these are unnecessary requirements since, as we understand it, there is no significant soybean production in Malaysia.”
Other challenges include gaining access to the European Union for soybeans with new traits and moving more soybeans into to mainland China. China is a top destination for Canadian soybean.
“The problem with trade is it’s turning into a lot of games rather than being about actual figures and reason,” Huston said.
Soy Canada has an 11-member board, of which six are farmers. Other members represent processors, seed companies and food-grade soybean exporters.
The organization should soon be fully operational. It replaces the former Canadian Soybean Council.
Huston said his farming partners do not mind him being away from home because he brings back information that often benefits the farm. The Hustons also have space for 1,100 finishing hogs.
