Ample moisture availability, combined with the price incentive to move to tighter pulse crop rotations, has resulted in high disease pressure for many of this year’s pea and lentil acres. The crop is also well-advanced in many areas, with most acres seeded before the second week of May, notes Allison Friesen of BASF in this Pulse… Read More
Food and ingredient companies like Nestle, General Mills and Cargill are looking to pulses to make their products more nutritious. “There’s a lot of pressure from the food industry, from consumers right now to make more healthfulness and nutrition in food products,” explains Heather Hill, project manager for pulse flour milling and food applications at… Read More
If there was some way of measuring trending topics in farmer conversations in Western Canada over the past six months, “so, are you growing peas this year?” would be at or near the top. Thanks to the very strong prices that are accompanying a global pulse shortage, a record number of pea (and lentil) acres… Read More
How confident are you that your pea and lentil seed is not limiting yield potential before you even put it in the ground? With rising acres leading to a shortage of certified seed, there are serious concerns about the quality of the seed that will be used this spring. Sarah Foster of 20/20 Seed Labs joins our own Kelvin Heppner… Read More
Optimal seeding rates for faba beans can vary from less than 3 bushels per acre to over 6 bushels per acre due to a wide range in seed size. With spring around the corner, Sherrilyn Phelps of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers stresses the importance of knowing the thousand kernel weight of faba bean seed. “Depending on variety and… Read More
There’s plenty of excitement surrounding lentils heading into the 2016 growing season, with record acres expected. In this Pulse School episode, Shannon Chant of Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture shares her top five tips for a good (or even great) lentil crop: 5 Tips for a Great Lentil Crop Good quality seed — Of course it… Read More
There were plenty of lessons to be learned about growing faba beans in 2015, as the number of acres covered by crop insurance in Saskatchewan tripled from just under 20 thousand in 2014 to around 60 thousand last year. “When you increase acres, there are definitely things we gain more information on,” notes Sherrilyn Phelps,… Read More
Pea prices in Western Canada are at record levels and showing no signs of weakness, largely due to the pulse crop shortage in India. Old crop yellow peas are fetching spot bids over $11/bu while contracts for 2016 are in the $9.50 to $10/bu range (most with Act of God clauses). “At this stage of… Read More
These are exciting times for lentil growers, with record Canadian lentil acres projected for 2016. Red lentil bids in Western Canada have spiked into the C$0.50/lb range due to a combination of poor growing conditions in India and the lower value of the Canadian dollar relative to U.S. currency. “There’s no question we’re going to have acres… Read More
The Canadian pulse crop is making its way into the bin, and from there on to export markets — markets that are hungry for more, says Jon Driedger of FarmLink Marketing Solutions. In this special #harvest15 Pulse School, Driedger sits down with RealAgricutlure’s Shaun Haney to talk initial yields, the good news story of tremendous… Read More
By now you’ve watched our video on determining when to desiccate faba beans, and perhaps you’re gearing up to go ahead. Now the all-important next question: what to spray? Well, according to Robyne Bowness, pulse research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, there are currently only two options for drying-down faba beans: diquat (a desiccant) and glyphosate (a… Read More
If you’re looking out over your faba bean crop and can’t help but scratch your head over whether or not it’s ready to desiccate, you’re not alone. Desiccant timing for all pulse crops is tricky — too early and you risk destroying yield potential; too late and you’ve lost time, leaving the crop open to… Read More
Peas, and pulses in general, are getting a lot of attention even as we gear up for the United Nations’ International Year of the Pulses. Global food trends seem to be favouring the commodity, with expectations that demand will continue to rise. For western Canadian pulse growers, this might mean developing an understanding of their varietal… Read More
Whether it’s growing demand for protein or pressure to reduce carbon footprints in the food chain, pulses appear well-positioned to benefit from global food trends. As the largest pea and lentil exporter in the world, Western Canada stands to become the “protein basket of the world,” says Murad Al Katib, president and CEO of Regina-based AGT… Read More
Pulse growers have some decisions to make regarding fungicide applications this summer. On one hand, dry conditions generally translate into lower disease pressure, but on the other hand, peas and lentils are in relatively good shape compared to some other crops affected by the dryness across much of Western Canada. Add the fact they’re selling for decent prices, and they might… Read More