MarketsFarm — Canada’s chickpea crop has likely beaten earlier expectations — but poor prices may limit farmer sales come harvest. “We planted the crop in drought conditions” and were preparing for the worst, said Colin Young of Midwest Grain at Moose Jaw, Sask., pointing to the lack of subsoil moisture in key chickpea-growing regions of […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Chickpeas appear OK, but prices soft
Viterra to buy ILTA Grain pulse processing plant
Creditor-protected Prairie pulse processor and exporter ILTA Grain is set to sell a next-to-new southern Saskatchewan facility to one of Canada’s biggest grain firms. Glencore Agriculture’s Viterra arm said Tuesday it has signed a purchase deal for the assets of ILTA’s processing facility at Belle Plaine, Sask., about 25 km east of Moose Jaw. Financial […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: India’s monsoons catch up, but crops still at risk
MarketsFarm — Heavy rains in recent weeks have brought India’s monsoon rainfall back to normal levels after a slow, dry start to the season, according to reports out of the country. However, flooding and uneven distribution of moisture could still hurt crop production. A normal monsoon is defined as 96-104 per cent of the 50-year […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Alberta markets optimistic despite weather
MarketsFarm — Varied weather across Alberta has made for an unpredictable pulse harvest. “We’ve seen everything from drought-like conditions in the south, to an overabundance of water in the central region, and to some degree in the north as well,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive director of Alberta Pulse. Despite less-than-favourable weather conditions, pulse producers are […] Read more
Subway to test-market plant-based ‘meatball’ subs
The world’s biggest fast food chain by number of outlets plans to test-market plant-based meat substitute at some of its Canadian and U.S. restaurants starting next month. Subway on Wednesday announced a “culinary innovation partnership” with Los Angeles-based processor Beyond Meat, beginning with a “Beyond Meatball Marinara” submarine sandwich to be tested at 685 Canadian […] Read more
After two lacklustre years, Alberta’s pulse prospects rising again
Market access woes hurt acreage but there’s cautious optimism this summer
Reading Time: 6 minutes Last year was a low point for pulse crops in Alberta. After record-high pulse acres in 2016, global markets slipped a little in 2017, and farmers got nervous. Fewer pulses went in the ground that year. Then top customer India all but closed its doors to Canadian pulses by imposing steep tariffs, and acres dropped […] Read more
Cargill not taking glufosinate-desiccated lentils
One of the world’s biggest grain companies has decided not to chance accepting Canadian lentils that were desiccated with a well known herbicide. Cargill announced Friday it will now have a “no tolerance” restriction on glufosinate ammonia in its grain delivery terms for lentils, including lentils that have had the Group 10 herbicide applied in […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba crops facing dry conditions
MarketsFarm — Varying dry conditions are set to take a toll on Manitoba’s pulse crops this year. Some crops have stunted due to dry conditions throughout the year, said Serena Klippenstein, production specialist with Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers. Overall, crop conditions are still dependent on the soil type and where they are in the […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Saskatchewan crops rally after rough spring
Winnipeg | MarketsFarm – Pulse crops across the prairies have largely bounced back after rough growing conditions in the spring and early summer, but they’re not out of the woods just yet. “It’s been an abnormal year,” remarked Carl Potts, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse. Potts explained that in Saskatchewan, widespread dryness early in the […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Canadian lentil prices remain stable
MarketsFarm – Early summer was characterized by concerns that dry, hot weather across the Canadian Prairies would impede lentil yields. However, recently improved growing conditions meant lentil crops have stayed largely stable. “It’s a completely different scenario now than it was two weeks ago,” said Darwin Hamilton of Kalshae Commodities in Winnipeg. “A month ago […] Read more