Cargill intends to register two hybrid specialty canolas this winter as it moves toward 100 percent hybrid production in that part of its business.
Growers attending a seminar in Regina last week heard that contracts for the company’s specialty program went quickly last fall, indicating optimism about the future of the industry.
But a couple of growers expressed concerns about the decision to move forward on Roundup Ready hybrids rather than open pollinated varieties.
Gary Galbraith, manager of the specialty oils program, said open pollinated varieties will be around for two or three more years.
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The hybrid varieties provide more return, he said, conceding that the seed is more expensive.
The unique profile of oils containing high oleic and low linoleic acids is in demand as consumers turn to healthier choices.
These oils do not need to be hydrogenated and are low in trans fats.
They have a lighter taste and will have a place in the restaurant and food processing industries.
The oils can replace the fats used to make potato chips and croutons or to coat cookies, crackers and granola bars, said Galbraith.
“It’s a solution to the trans fat issue,” he said.
If North American processors turned to specialty canola to fill all their transfat-free oil needs, it would provide a market for about 5.2 million acres of of canola, Galbraith said.
Last year, western Canadian farmers seeded 11.5 million acres to canola, noted Cargill’s Ernie Unger.
The current opportunity for all types of specialty canola types in Western Canada, including rapeseed, is 500,000 to 600,000 acres.
By developing varieties that meet processors’ concerns about trans fats, the canola industry is ahead of key competitors.
Unger said commercial varieties of high oleic acid soybeans could be 10 years away.
John Burns, who farms at Wynyard, Sask., has grown high erucic rapeseed in Cargill’s specialty oil program for the past seven years.
Between 1,000 and 1,500 of his 7,000 cultivated acres are dedicated to several varieties.
“The premium on the (identity preserved) crops was the profit that we got to keep,” he told the meeting.
He estimated increased revenue of between 91 cents and $1.36 per bushel on his specialty canola production.
Agronomically, he found no difference in growing it.
Burns said it is important to have the correct amount of storage in order to segregate the crops without wasting bin space.
He said he enjoys being on the cutting edge of technology and producing something consumers want.
“I don’t think we can say if we grow it they will buy it,” he said.
“We have to look at what the consumer wants and work backward.”
