Prairie pea yields appear lower in early harvest

CNS Canada -- Western Canada's pea harvest has begun and yields appear to be down, according to a crop management specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture. "Once farmers cut into the peas they began finding yields maybe half of what they typically expected," said Shannon Friesen. Excess dryness in the early summer seems to have taken its[...]

Chickpeas see strength in early harvest returns

CNS Canada -- The chickpea harvest is slowly gathering steam across Western Canada with prices holding steady, despite the harvest pressure. In Saskatchewan, where the majority of the crop lies, one industry stakeholder estimated a fifth of the crop has been combined. "Chickpeas are 20 per cent complete or just nicely underway," said Colin Young[...]


Pea growers weigh demand opportunities against root rot

CNS Canada -- Pea acreage in Western Canada could rise by five to 10 per cent this year, according to one industry expert, who notes root rot threatens to curtail that projection. Demand from India, China and Bangladesh is strong and that means total pea area could hit four million acres, said Carl Potts, executive[...]

Mustard acres expected to soften slightly in 2015

CNS Canada -- Canadian mustard seeds could be vying for attention this spring from some of their more lucrative rivals, the chairman of the Saskatchewan Mustard Seed Development Commission predicts. "I would say mustard acres would be down a little bit from the previous year just based on the profit potential for other crops," said[...]


Better-than-expected lentil crop faces market volatility

CNS Canada -- Despite a summer of excess moisture across much of the Prairies, lentils fared better than earlier expectations, according to Bobby Leavins, operations manager for Rayglen Commodities in Saskatoon. However, the crop's grade spread is still very wide and prices are expected to be wide-ranging over the winter. "With all the moisture a[...]

Lentil prices rise with Prairie rains, Asian demand

CNS Canada -- A lentil watcher says Canadian prices for the crop are surging higher right now, in response to frequent Prairie rains and international demand. "It's more than your usual slow rally, it (the market) spiked higher; especially the greens, which are shooting up right now," said Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research in[...]


Crop damage varies across Prairies

CNS Canada -- Last week's Prairie frost seems to have bitten Alberta crops the hardest, but all across Western Canada, crop experts say wet, cold weather poses challenges to late-stage development. In Alberta, a hard frost came the night of Sept. 10 and morning of Sept. 11. "The cereals and canola that were least ripe,[...]

Pea prices steady but questions loom over water damage

CNS Canada -- Questions over quality could be the biggest factor facing pea farmers in Western Canada this year, as a wet summer has caused sprouting, staining and bleaching in crops near the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border. "It was the rain after seeding that hurt us," said Shannon Friesen, a regional crop specialist with the Saskatchewan government[...]


Malt barley prospects decline with excess moisture

CNS Canada -- It looks like this year's Canadian malt barley crop could be a lot smaller than originally expected. Canada's 2014-15 barley production was estimated at 7.2 million tonnes by Statistics Canada. This compares to last year's total of 10.2 million tonnes. That estimate, however, was before persistent rains swept across the Prairies during[...]

West's ranchers sending cattle out to pasture early

CNS Canada -- The late spring has prompted many Prairie cattle owners to put their animals on pasture weeks ahead of schedule, according to three industry watchers. "They are probably three weeks early (in Alberta) compared to when they should be turning them out," said forage specialist Barry Yaremcio at the provincial Ag-Info Centre at[...]