Southern Alberta farmers may see soybeans as a late-seeding crop option this year, says a seed farm manager who is promoting the crop in the region.
Patrick Fabian of Fabian Seed Farms said soybeans can be planted as late as June 10.
Late seeding is likely this year because of moisture conditions.
May 15 is the earliest soybeans should be planted because of their sensitivity to soil temperature.
“I think we’re going to have a second rush here,” he said of soybean seed sales.
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Fabian said it appears fewer than 4,000 acres of the crop will be planted in southern Alberta this year, based on his own records. That would be down from 5,600 acres planted last year.
He had hoped the number would be higher, but there is a bright side.
“This year’s going to be a bit of a retraction in acres and overall I’m actually not disappointed with that. It gives us a chance to make sure that we’re solidifying our base and making sure that we are taking these things in the right direction.”
Fabian, who farms 800 irrigated acres near Tilley, Alta., is planting test plots of varieties suited to southern Alberta, at least one of which promises slightly earlier maturity.
He is also testing earlier maturing Roundup Ready 2 varieties.
Fabian sees soybeans as a potential alternative to alfalfa, which has similar heat requirements. An abundance of feed this year is likely to reduce the price of alfalfa, he added, so soybeans might pencil out better.
A major drawback is the lack of a soybean processing facility, but Fabian said a company is considering a plant.
Soybeans are now shipped to Manitoba or North Dakota for processing, and Fabian recently paid $1.68 per bushel for freight.
However, he said annual soybean production of 1,000 acres is likely needed to make a processing plant viable.
