If you haven’t locked in lentil prices, keep a close watch on the markets as bigs can move 10 cents or more on spikes, said Alberta Pulse Growers’ Nevin Rosaasen.

Lentil harvest — and marketing — comes with a learning curve

Lentils stay green into harvest, but you don’t want to wait too long

Reading Time: 3 minutes With Alberta lentil acres more than doubling in 2016, this fall will be the first-ever lentil harvest for a good number of growers. The trick to doing it successfully? Patience, said Nevin Rosaasen, policy and program specialist with Alberta Pulse Growers. “Harvesting lentils can be tricky, and you need to be patient,” said Rosaasen. “Lentils […] Read more

Haying dogged by persistent showers, crop conditions also affected

Alberta crop conditions as of July 26

Reading Time: < 1 minute Warmer temperatures covered the province but the persistent showery weather continued in most regions affecting haying progress principally but also crop conditions. The provincial crop condition rating was virtually unchanged from last week at 82.5 per cent of crops rated in good or excellent condition compared to the five year average of 72 per cent […] Read more


Saskatchewan crops battle through moisture

Commodity News Service Canada – Saskatchewan crops are in generally good condition despite recent wet and windy weather, says the Saskatchewan government. In a release, the province said sixty-two per cent of the spring wheat, winter wheat, flax and canola was in good condition as of July 25. Lentils are rated as 15 per cent excellent, […] Read more

Photo: File/Sharlene Bennie (2014)

Combining begins in drier sections of Western Prairies

Commodity News Service Canada – Producers in southern Alberta have begun to combine some grain and pulses, according to a farm leader. “Down around Lethbridge and south of it, they had pretty decent moisture so they’ve got good crops. Guys are starting to combine winter wheat now and peas,” said Lynn Jacobsen, president of the Alberta […] Read more


A canola field in St. Andrews, Manitoba on July 5, 2016.  Photo: Greg Berg

No drying trend in store for Canadian Prairies

Commodity News Service – Crops on the Western Canadian Prairies could be seeing more soggy conditions in the next six to 10 days, according to a noted U.S. weather watcher. “Saskatchewan and Manitoba will probably have a net drying bias for this week,” said Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. in Kansas City on July 25. […] Read more

Crops progressing well due to plenty of warmth, moisture

Alberta crop conditions as of July 19

Reading Time: 2 minutes With significant rains across the province, particularly in the South and Central Regions over the past two weeks, most of the agricultural lands in Alberta have seen at least near normal amounts of precipitation to date (refer to the map below). Provincially, crop growing conditions improved by two per cent from last week to 83 […] Read more


Laird lentils. (PulseCanada.com)

Wet weather threatens record lentil crops

CNS Canada — An increase in Canadian lentil acreage this year comes as a blessing in disguise as wet conditions threaten some crops, worrying producers. Farmers in parts of the Prairies increased lentil seedings by 48 per cent, covering a record 5.8 million acres this year, according to Statistics Canada. While the increase in lentils […] Read more

Crops conditions mostly good, precipitation ranging excessive to dry

Alberta crop conditions as of June 28

Reading Time: 2 minutes June saw highly variable amounts of precipitation fall in the province from near excessive amounts of 150-250 per cent of normal in the Peace region, to above average quantities of 100-200 per cent in the North West, to below average of 50-100 per cent in the North East, and dry conditions to the Central and […] Read more


Richardson Pioneer agronomist Jeneen Ewen shared this photo with us last summer showing what turned out to be stemphylium blight in a southwestern Saskatchewan lentil crop.

Guenther: Farmers aim to keep pulse diseases in check

Rain makes grain, the saying goes — but too much spring rain and farmers are likely to see disease in pulses. That’s certainly been the case in Saskatchewan, where farmers in most regions are actively scouting for, or in some cases spraying for, crop diseases, according to the provincial crop report. So which leaf diseases […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

More canola and pulses, less wheat expected in Canada

CNS Canada — Canadian farmers likely seeded more canola and pulse acres than originally thought this spring, but less wheat, according to average trade estimates ahead of Statistics Canada’s next official survey results due out June 29. Poor returns per acre and frustrations over grading issues had some farmers backing away on wheat, said Jerry […] Read more