While canola is king of the Canadian oilseed market, the same can be said of soybeans in the United States.
However, the big pulse crop south of the border has made inroads in the western provinces.
Manitoba has seen the biggest growth in soybean acres with well over a million planted annually in recent years, becoming the third largest crop after canola and wheat.
Growth has been far less dramatic in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
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Justine Cornelsen, agronomic and regulatory service manager with Brett Young Seeds, said soybeans are still considered a relatively new crop to the western Canadian market that is currently centred in southern Manitoba.
One of the biggest barriers for growth for the crop is the length of the growing season.
“Through genetics and selective breeding, soybeans are becoming more favourable for growing conditions here in Canada. We’ve got some shorter-season varieties that are on the market now,” said Cornelsen.
While several exhibitors at the Ag in Motion farm show outside of Saskatoon have been showcasing the latest varieties, growth in acres planted in Saskatchewan remain limited.
“We do see them in the southeast corner predominately, but it is moving across (the province), especially with the really big push for proteins,” said Cornelsen.
“It’s a tougher crop when we get looking at heat units, That’s why they are staying down there in the south — they don’t do well in that light, sandy soil. In Saskatchewan, we have a lot of that. That’s where there is a drawback in growing them into the northern regions as well.”
While wheat and canola are dominant in the province, soybeans are a good nitrogen-fixing crop to put in a diversified rotation under the right conditions.
However, the crop can also attract similar pests as peas, which can be an issue.
“As for a fit, I think they would work really well with canola and wheat. We see that happening in Manitoba quite frequently. A lot of growers are on a three-year rotation with some sort of cereals, canola and then their beans,” said Cornelsen.
“There are things to watch for. Disease like sclerotinia — like any broadleaf plant — so as soon as you have that in your canola, your beans are susceptible to that, so there is the chance to build that over time. It’s an environmentally dependent disease, so it’s not as big as a worry.”
Alberta and Saskatchewan’s growing season hasn’t provided the best environment for the moisture-loving soybean recently, but Cornelsen said research continues in incorporating more drought-resistance into the crop.
“They don’t do well when it’s dry, but finding that shorter season or varieties that will tolerate some drought is definitely a focus of plant breeders. We’re trying to select for varieties with good IDC (iron deficiency chlorosis) ratings. That iron chlorosis is something we don’t typically see in the States. It is a disease that is a Western Canada issue.”
Cornelsen said IDC can particularly be an issue for soybeans in hot, dry conditions.
The Manitoba crop is looking good this season. She said it has the moisture and is growing extremely well in the heat. Last season saw a record-breaking yield in the province, she added.
The crop’s future outside the Keystone province will largely depend on whether farmers are up for the challenge of taking on a new variety, one that requires use of specific harvesting equipment and storage while operating in an environment that hasn’t seen the crop grown before.
“It’s different,” said Cornelsen.
“It’s challenging yourself to grow something new, but there is a lot of investment and knowledge that needs to be taken in before you hop into a new crop like beans.”
Ontario remains the largest producer of soybeans by harvested area with more than three million acres in 2022.
Specific numbers for Saskatchewan are less certain with an estimated 100,000 acres seeded in recent years and Alberta seeding around 6,500.
— Alex McCuaig reports for the Western Producer from Medicine Hat.
