Alberta produces a lot of field peas and demand for the protein, starch, and fibre in them is skyrocketing, but there’s no place to process them in the province. But that could change if a company called More Than Protein Ingredients can get the investors it needs for a fractionating plant in Bowden.

Bowden pulse-processing plant still a go, says new CEO

Investors are being lined up but some ‘milestones’ need to be met for fractionation facility to proceed

Reading Time: 5 minutes Despite recent setbacks, a proposed pulse-fractionating plant near Bowden is moving ahead under new management. The prospect for the facility was thrown into doubt when W.A. Grain & Pulse Solutions was placed into receivership in April. However, prior to that, the Innisfail company, which had spent five years planning the facility and trying to get it off the ground, […] Read more

File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Peas, beans hold up in dry Manitoba

MarketsFarm — Of the pulses being planted in Manitoba this spring, field peas and dry beans appear the best able to handle the difficult drought conditions the province continues to experience throughout its growing areas. Field peas “have a relatively low water requirement, similar to dry beans,” Cassandra Tkachuk, production specialist with Manitoba Pulse and […] Read more


The yellow patches indicate that aphanomyces root rot has reached an advanced stage. But even if detected earlier, there’s nothing that can be done save not planting peas in this field for several years.

STACKED DECK: Root rot pathogen holds all the cards

You can’t spray aphanomyces or buy resistant varieties, so longer rotations are the only tool

Reading Time: 3 minutes Hard to spot, impossible to treat, and no resistant varieties. So when aphanomyces root rot does show up, you know you’ve got a long-term problem. “Once you see it, you kind of get scared and realize you’re stuck with it for a bit,” said Bow Island producer Will Müller. Because it is a soil-borne pathogen […] Read more

Root rot on peas — severe infestations can cut yields by 70 per cent while aphanomyces spores can linger in the soil for years.

Aphanomyces could become the new clubroot

Researcher recommends pea and lentil growers consider a seven-year break between crops

Reading Time: 5 minutes If not managed correctly, aphanomyces could be the next clubroot. And since longer rotations are the only effective management tool, pulse growers battling the soil-borne pathogen that causes root rot in peas and lentils could be facing a big-time reshuffling of what they grow. “Our recommendation now is to think about going one in eight […] Read more



(File photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canada left with very tight canola, barley stocks

'You can't find canola anywhere in the country'

MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada’s grain stocks report leaves no question that canola stocks have been tight for some time in Canada and will continue to be unless demand is slashed, according to independent trader Jerry Klassen in Winnipeg. “You can’t find canola anywhere in the country and the stocks that are out there, a lot […] Read more


File photo of a chickpea crop in India. (Nikhil Patil/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Harvest shortcomings could open doors to India

MarketsFarm — As India’s pulse harvest continues, indications have been that initial projections might not be met — which could lead the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses to allow more imports, MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville says. The Indian government expected about 11.5 million tonnes of chickpeas, but the harvest might bring in […] Read more

File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: StatsCan’s pea, chickpea acres short of trade expectations

MarketsFarm — Numbers were seen as disappointing for dry peas and chickpeas in Statistics Canada’s survey-based principal field crop planting projections released Tuesday. The federal agency predicted 3.839 million acres seeded for dry peas nationwide, nearly a 10 per cent decline compared to last year. By comparison, MarketsFarm projected 4.38 million acres while Agriculture and […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan’s projected canola area on low side of expectations

Wheat acres expected lower, barley up

MarketsFarm — As the market grapples with new planting projections from Statistics Canada, one thing was abundantly clear to MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville: this canola forecast isn’t enough to rectify tight ending stocks. In StatsCan’s survey-based principal field crop areas report, released Tuesday, the federal agency pegged canola acres for 2021-22 at 21.53 million, […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Slight adjustments in AAFC’s April supply/demand report

MarketsFarm — Updated supply and demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, released Tuesday, included only minor adjustments to balance sheets for most major crops. Statistics Canada releases its first survey-based acreage estimates for the upcoming growing season on Tuesday next week (April 27), which should lead to adjustments in subsequent supply/demand projections. Canola ending […] Read more