This extends the $250,000 limit, which was set in March 2025.

Producers can receive an additional $250,000 interest free on canola only for a total of $500,000.

“By increasing the interest-free portion of the Advance Payments Program, we’re helping farmers manage costs, while giving them more flexibility to market their products on their terms,” Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald said in an April 1 news release.

The program offers up to $1 million to Canadian farmers based on the expected value of their agricultural products. Twenty-four industry groups across Canada deliver the program.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture praised the extension of the $250,000 interest-free limit.

“Maintaining the $250,000 interest free portion reflects the realities farmers are facing today,” said CFA president Keith Currie.

“We are seeing continued volatility in input costs, supply chains and global markets, and this type of support is important in helping farmers navigate those pressures.”

“We look forward to continuing to work with government to secure a permanent increase to the interest free portion of the program, so that producers have the predictability they need to make informed business decisions in an increasingly complex operating environment,” he added.

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“I saw firsthand all of the stress points at that huge hub and that’s certainly, I think, going to be an important priority for the Grain Growers,” said Bruce Burrows.

Burrows, who stepped into the executive director role on April 1, previously worked as president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce and as vice president and acting president and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada.

WHY IT MATTERS: Grain Growers of Canada is one of the largest national farm organizations in Canada, representing over 100,000 producers through 15 regional groups.

“Given my past roles in both modes, both the marine and rail mode, I’ve got a good deep network,” he said.

He said he sees opportunities to “bring coalition-building to a next level for farmers.”

Burrows also has experience with port infrastructure including the port of Vancouver, a critical exit point for Canadian grain exports. Bottlenecks at that port and other critical infrastructure threaten the sector’s reliability, so it must have a good relationship with the ports and railways in the west.

“We know the canola story well with China, which is a Vancouver story,” Burrows said, “but there are lots of other Asian markets beyond China, which I think the sector wants to target for growth. And that’s very much a West Coast story.”

He said he saw other transport opportunities in places like Thunder Bay.

Consulting and advocacy

Burrows also brings experience in government relations and international trade policy through his work with Tactix Government Relations and BurCan Consulting. He said one of his goals will be to build on the GGC’s reputation to strengthen government relations.

“Fine-tuning our advocacy skills is really critical in the consulting world,” he said. “I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade.”

Burrows looked forward to upcoming trade trips, particularly to the U.S., which he said will be critical.

“If there are some interesting missions that need to be organized, I’ve been part of those things before and (would) be willing to be part of them again.”

“Global trading relations come and go, politicians come and go, but geography doesn’t change,” he said. “So, that U.S.-Canadian relationship is going to be first and foremost.”

He also called Global Affairs Canada and the Trade Commissioner Service underused resources and said he was open to working with them.

Burrows said his first priority in his new role would be to listen.

“I’m going to be in intense learning mode for some time,” he said. “I know I have to walk the field before I start plowing it.”

Burrows said he’s interested to tour farm tours in Western Canada and to meet with farmers one on one.

Grain as a “superpower product”

He said he hopes to encourage the federal government to recognize grain’s importance.

Canada has significant market share in wheat, canola and pulse crops.

“From a broader policy perspective, I’ll be focusing on this so that the federal government understands that opportunity to ensure that grain is considered a Canadian superpower product.”

Burrows said he feels he is entering the sector at a pivotal time as Canada begins to recognize agriculture’s role as more than a basic resource.

“So, how do we leverage this moment?” he said. “I think that’s what’s really driving me, in terms of my interest getting into the role.”

“I think we can step up our game and really demonstrate… how critically important we are in terms of supporting the commitments of Canada going forward.”

Other priorities Burrows listed for his time in the role included:

• Ensuring Canadian grain is considered in the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
• Engaging in labour issues and modernizing labour rules for a more predictable supply chain while respecting collective bargaining agreements.
• Finding ways to use precision agriculture technology to drive productivity and climate resiliency.
• Ensuring the movement of bulk resources at Canadian ports is recognized.

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Protein Industries Canada (PIC) announced the project on March 31. PIC will provide $1.4 million toward the projects’ $3.9 million price tag.

AGT Foods and Sweet Nutrition will develop pulse ingredients derived from peas, lentils and faba beans for use in food products like cereals, baking mixes and high-protein snacks, PIC said in a news release.

The project will also advance new processing and post-fractionation techniques, including heat-moisture treatment and blending and extrusion. Other goals include increased efficiency and throughput at AGT’s Regina extrusion facility and the expansion and automation of Sweet Nutrition’s Saskatoon, Sask. baking and packaging operations.

“This project is a strong example of how food production and value-added agriculture can unlock new markets for Canadian crops and create new economic value for Canada,” said PIC CEO Tyler Groeneveld in the news release,

PIC is one of Canada’s five, federally-established Global Innovation Clusters, which fund and advance research and development in different industries.

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“Presently, tariffs on peas sit at 30 per cent for all countries (Canada included) and lentils sit at roughly 11 per cent for all countries,” Jeff English, vice president, public affairs for Pulse Canada, said about India’s current tariffs in an email to Glacier FarmMedia on March 30.

For daily markets updates, visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

For some time, India suspended its duties on pulses as a means to reduce food inflation, as domestic supply wasn’t quite enough to meet demand. However, with growing pressure from Indian farmers, the country’s government reimposed the levies in late 2025.

English said Pulse Canada will be in a better position to comment after the Indian government has said where it’s going with its pulse duties.

Lentil, pea prices

Heading into that, there has been little effect on pulse cash prices across Western Canada. Prairie Ag Hotwire cited a one cent increase on old crop Laird lentils, ranging from 11.5 to 25 cents per pound delivered depending on size. However, the Lairds have fallen 26 to 30 cents/lb. over the last 12 months.

Cash prices for the Eston, Richlea and French varieties were unchanged over the last week. Estons were 13 to 21.8 cents/lb. delivered and Richleas at 8.5 to 21.8 cents/lb. They as well have experienced sharp declines since a year ago, with declines between 19.3 to 31.3 cents/lb.

Crimson lentils stepped back 1.3 to 1.5 cents on the week at 14 to 25.5 cents/lb. delivered. Over the last 12 months, Crimsons are down 4.5 to cents/lb.

As for dry peas, the greens dropped 50 cents on the week at C$7.50 to C$10/bu. delivered, while the yellows were unchanged at C$7.75 to C$8.55/bu. Over the year, the green have dropped C$7.50/bu. and the yellows slipped C$2.45.

CEPA negotiations, trade mission

English also commented on the state of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement being negotiated between Canada and India.

“…the launch of negotiations is a positive step towards a new bilateral trade relationship. We look forward to playing an active role during these negotiations to ensure that Canada’s pulse sector can benefit from enhanced trade between our two countries,” he said.

Pulse Canada led a delegation to India from March 1-5 with members of other Canadian pulse organizations. The group met with government officials, traders, millers and other industry members, Pulse Canada said in a March 30 report.

“When we sit down with customers and partners in India, it reinforces that Canada is committed for the long haul. That trust is what helps keep our product moving, even when the market gets complicated,” said Terry Youzwa, chair of Pulse Canada, in the report.

According to the report, the clearest takeaway from the mission was that India will continue to need imported pulses. Industry members said the country typically only has a few months’ worth of pulse supply at a time.

“Our job is to stay connected to the market so we can bring that signal back home. That helps farmers understand where the opportunities are – not just this year, but over the long term,” said Shane Strydhorst, Pulse Canada’s vice chair.

-With files from Geralyn Wichers

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Daryl Domitruk, now a research project manager for MPSG, said pulse and soybean prospects in Manitoba have become “very interesting” due to the war in the Middle East as well as speculation over upcoming weather conditions. He added that it is difficult to determine with certainty how many acres will be planted for certain crops.

“What we’ve been seeing is that soybeans are likely to increase in Manitoba. Dry beans are likely to be down and peas are tougher (to determine). We’re expecting similar acreage (from last year) but that could change with the weather,” Domitruk said.

His assessment largely reflected that of Statistics Canada’s latest principal field crop report released earlier this month. Soybean acres in Manitoba were projected at 1.869 million acres this year, up 12.9 per cent from 2025-26. Edible bean acres were projected at 120,000, down 45.6 per cent, while dry pea acres are expected to decline by 40.5 per cent at 116,700.

For daily markets update, visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

Domitruk attributed the drops in dry bean and pea acres to the markets being well-supplied, which resulted in prices going down and seeded area falling.

With shipments of fertilizer and urea being held up due to the war in Iran, farmers may be inclined to grow soybeans and other crops with low fertilizer needs. Domitruk said there is already additional interest from growers.

“That is the only thing that may accelerate bean or soybean acres than what’s already being projected,” he added. “But we need to pay close attention to crop rotations in Manitoba.”

He added that the amount of snow received in central and southern Manitoba this winter could provide the moisture necessary for good growing conditions. However, pulse planting is still restricted to specific windows of time.

“That window only works if seeding for wheat and canola go according to plan,” Domitruk said.

“It’s really difficult when you have so many different factors in play this year between markets, world events, weather and prices for inputs. Weather-wise, we can only assume things will be OK. Of course, it’s not in our hands and we can just see what we get,” he added.

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That was one of the central messages from Michael Wunsch, a plant pathologist with North Dakota State University, speaking at CropConnect 2026 in Winnipeg in February.

WHY IT MATTERS: White mould was a top disease threat in Manitoba’s soybean fields in 2025.

Fungicides do not protect future growth. They only protect the canopy that exists at the time of application.

“When you spray, you’re protecting the canopy that’s there,” Wunsch said.

“All that new growth is unprotected.”

That biological reality has implications for fungicide timing, especially if more than one pass is planned.

Infection occurs through senescing blossoms. Once a blossom dies and forms a small pin-shaped pod, the plant becomes susceptible.

“The per cent of plants with pin-shaped pods is the per cent of plants in a susceptible state,” he said.

Because of that, he uses the percentage of plants with initial pin pods as a guide for fungicide timing.

However, timing isn’t just about bloom stage. Growers also need to think through their season-long plan.

“When you spray should be determined by the number of applications you plan to make,” Wunsch said.

During early bloom, beans are growing rapidly. Within days of an application, plants can be significantly taller and wider. That new biomass is not protected.

If only one application is planned, Wunsch said growers should generally wait until a high percentage of plants have initial pin pods — often 60 to 100 per cent — before spraying, assuming conditions favour disease.

Applying too early sacrifices protection during the period of maximum susceptibility, when the canopy is full and moisture is trapped within it.

The reason is that the second application protects the new growth that develops after the first spray.

“You don’t want to sacrifice those early infections,” he said.

In this case, the grower is no longer choosing between early and late protection. The second pass covers the expanding canopy.

He recommended that a single application be made when 100 per cent of plants reach the R2 growth stage unless canopy closure occurs earlier. In that case, application should coincide with canopy closure.

As in dry beans, the decision depends on risk. If conditions do not favour white mould as the crop enters bloom, he advised waiting until they do.

That percentage provides a practical indicator of crop susceptibility and can guide timing decisions.

He also urged growers to pay attention to droplet size when applying fungicides, saying it can “make a world of difference” in efficacy.

However, even with precise timing, optimized droplet size and multiple applications under high pressure, white mould was never entirely suppressed in his trials, indicating the resilience of the pathogen under current management practices.

“White mould control isn’t that good,” said Wunsch.

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Bayer presented a technical look into the new products during Canada’s Farm Show in Regina March 17.

WHY IT MATTERS: Manitoba farmers are in the last weeks before the 2026 crop goes in the ground.

Both treatments are similar to their predecessors, Raxil Pro and Trilex Evergol, but have received a bit of a boost. Raxil Rise is formulated with the same rates of tebuconazole, prothioconazole, and metalaxyl as Pro, with the new inclusion of penflufen, a Group 7 chemical.

“What penflufen does is it sharpens up our disease control kind of across the board with those other three actives,” said Jimmi-Lee Jackson, a customer solutions agronomist with Bayer.

“But specifically, it really increases the control of the true loose smut, which can be an issue in wheat, but it’s very much more an issue in barley.”

Evergol Rise includes penflufen, trifloxystrobin and metalaxyl, just like Trilex, but the penflufen and trifloxystrobin rate has been increased, and there is now the addition of prothioconazole, a Group 3 chemical.

These new treatments are uncommon because not many contain four active ingredients.

The new formulations have “sharpened” the broad spectrum control for higher disease conditions.

However, there’s also stronger control against diseases such as fusarium head blight, smuts, bunts, root rot complex and seedborne ascochyta. A notable upgrade seen with Evergol Rise was the move from suppression of seedborne ascochyta with Trilex to control.

Nearly 10 years of research went into product development, including the formulation work, lab tests and field trials, both farm scale and small plots.

The product was tested for viscosity, flowability it is on the seed and dust-off. Much of these involve temperature, and Bayer pressure tests its products to -20 C.

“Obviously, I’m never going to recommend that, but that’s just kind of showing how we are pressure testing our products,” said Jackson.

“We really want to make sure that when growers are doing that in the spring — wouldn’t recommend — but that if they’re doing it at, say, -10 C, we have no worries.”

The company focused on efficiency because its predecessor had varying dilution ratios, depending on what pulse crop it was being used with, and often used a lot of water. The ratio with Trilex is seven parts water to one part product for lentils and 14 to one for chickpeas.

“Evergol Rise does a really good job when it comes to the formulation,” Jackson said.

“When we were doing our research authorization trials this season, kind of looking to see what water volumes were working on most pulses, we found that the one-to-one water ratio was super easy, and that’s what seemed to work best.”

The one-to-one ratio is the recommendation for all pulses except chickpeas, which is recommended at a five to one ratio.

Growers who use Evergol Rise will notice that the drum is filled to half, allowing just enough room to fill with the right amount of water for dilution.

“We can do our due diligence by doing our seed tests and stuff like that, but the one thing that we can’t control is the disease levels in the soil,” she said.

“And that can be a big risk factor for growers that maybe they don’t necessarily think about when they’re kind of pricing some of the stuff out.”

During her presentation at Canada’s Farm Show, she showed the results of a product trial from 2025 in Saskatoon. It compared how the products worked in soil inoculated with fusarium to how they worked non-inoculated soil with untreated and treated seed.

With treated seed in the inoculated soil, there was a major yield increase. That plot reached 95 bushels per acre, while the inoculated plot without treated seed was only 77 bu. per acre.

Even in the plot with non-inoculated soil and treated seed, there was a slight yield increase, reaching 95 bu. per acre, while the untreated seed produced 93 bu. per acre.

“Wherever you are, there’s going to be a disease presence in your soil,” Jackson said.

“And that’s the one thing that we kind of have to remember — we never know what’s in our soil. That doesn’t matter where you are.”

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Burrows has previously served as president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce and as vice president and acting president and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada. He also has experience in consulting and policy through Tactix Government Relations and BurCan Consulting.

Burrows will assume the role from previous executive director Kyle Larkin, who stepped down in December.

In a Thursday morning written release, Burrows called it “a real honour to join Grain Growers of Canada and represent the interests of grain farmers across the country.”

“Strong advocacy starts with strong connections, and I look forward to strengthening those relationships by working with producers and members across Canada to ensure their priorities continue to be clearly heard in Ottawa,” he said.

Burrows’ role begins April 1.

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Peas

Canada exported 190,480 tonnes of peas in January, which was up by 15 per cent from December, reported StatCan. Year-to-date pea exports of 1.322 million tonnes were running about 200,000 tonnes behind the year-ago pace.

India was the top buyer through six months, accounting for just over 500,000 tonnes of the total pea exports. Bangladesh and China were also major buyers, although Chinese purchases of 104,406 tonnes through January compare with 413,950 tonnes at the same point a year ago.

Lentils

Canadian lentil exports were down 34 per cent in January compared to December, with about 165,342 tonnes moved out of the country. Turkey was the largest destination, accounting for 38 per cent of the total. Crop year-to-date exports of 1.191 million tonnes were down by two per cent on the year.

India was the largest buyer of lentils so far this marketing year, accounting for 30 per cent of the total. Turkey and the United Arab Emirates round out the top three.

Chickpeas

Canada exported about 19,840 tonnes of chickpeas in January, which was down 12 per cent from the previous month. The United States was the largest buyer, accounting for roughly a quarter of the total, followed by Turkey and Pakistan.

Year-to-date chickpea exports at 115,470 tonnes are running 27 per cent ahead of the 2024-25 pace.

The U.S., Turkey and Pakistan were also the top destinations for Canadian chickpeas during the 2025-26 marketing year through January.

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Chuck Penner, founder of LeftField Commodity Research, spoke at the 2026 Canadian Crops Convention about supply and demand in the Canadian grains sector and how a strong 2025 could lead to a complex 2026.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canadian farmers will soon be planting the 2026 crops, with large old crop supplies complicating the market outlook.

“We talk in ag markets always about cycles,” said Penner. “The market is cycling. And so right now, we’re in a supply-heavy situation. But is that going to continue? I would argue ‘no.’”

“What we have is this comfortable carryover,” he continued noting that can lead to a complacent mindset in grain markets.

Canada produced an aggregated 106 million tonnes of grains, oilseeds, pulses and other crops in 2025, 10 million more than the previous year.

“So, what are we doing with that grain?” Penner asked.

Farmer deliveries are already up three million tonnes over last year. Exports are at 25 million tonnes, up from the five-year average by around 2.5 million.

“That’s good, but it still doesn’t dispose of 10 million tonnes more production,” Penner said. “If we keep this pace up, and there are some really good signs that we will keep this pace up, then we will work that down to some degree.”

Despite what Penner referred to as a “heavy-supply mindset” hanging over the sector, prices are still moving, and he expects them to continue firming up.

Many crops see seasonal price peaks in the spring, but Penner cautioned that those commodities will start to tip over in early summer “and everybody’s going to freak out and talk about the heavy supplies again.”

One problem now is there is not much urgency in attracting acreage.

In tighter supply years, such as after the 2021 drought, buyers were desperate and some started contracting for 2022 new crop in October and November already. However, this year, the sentiment is “we’ll buy it when we need it,” said Penner.

Resolving heavy supply

For some major crops like barley, canola and soybeans, stocks-to-use ratios are wide, but Penner said those ratios will likely be a bit lower at the end of 2026-27.

“There’s a key reason for that,” he said. “What happens when we drop back to either average or to trend yields? It basically wipes out. It’s a far bigger influence on the supply situation for next year than acreage shifts.”

While acreage shifts are interesting, a return to average yields in Western Canada after the bumper crops of 2025-26 would “do a whole lot in terms of resolving the heavy supply situation that we have,” said Penner.

“If we move to an average yield or even a trend yield in those major crops, the supply numbers get close to the five-year average,” he said adding that supplies of oats, corn and soybeans may even become tight.

What to plant this year?

Penner said his recommendation for 2026 was to plant oats.

“If you all rush out and plant oats now, of course that effect is gone. But barley and durum supplies should remain comfortable. It’s the pulses and special crops that are going to take a couple of years to really resolve the heavy supply situation.”

Currently, he said global supplies will favour the buyer.

“2025-26 was a good year globally. No question,” he said. “The question is, can it repeat?”

Penner offered general market thoughts on crops for 2026.

Wheat

Wheat saw record global and Canadian production with prices remaining relatively flat. Penner pointed out wheat is almost never touched by trade disruptions or tariffs. Canada is also exporting durum almost at last year’s record pace, even with strong European and North African crops.

Barley

Barley had a record yield last year with the largest Canadian crop since 2020-21, and prices are rising. Penner said Canada has strong barley exports to countries like China, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Oats

Penner said the main concern with oats is a weaker export pace. Other export markets like Australia and the U.S., which saw its biggest oat crop in over 10 years, could challenge Canada. He said he thought soft prices could discourage acreage in 2026 and leave Canada with “some really tight supplies of oats.”

Canola

Canola production and yields were strong globally, leading to increased supplies, but according to Penner, “the demand side is the bigger picture.” With the market more certain following U.S. biofuels and potential tariffs, prices have continued to rise. He added if canola drops back to average levels, supplies will tighten and demand will strengthen.

Peas

Peas also had near-record yields in Canada which, combined with a strong Russian crop, have led to a global glut. Though imports from India are not what they have been, Penner said other buyers like China have also stepped in. He said there is a sizable carryover into 2026, especially for green peas.

Lentils

Penner said demand is fairly static for green lentils but could be stronger for red lentils. On both fronts, he said it must get stronger to deal with supply, but it is “hard to see that happening.” He added there is a huge supply of green lentils now hanging over the market, but “the red picture will be more balanced.”

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