(Weatherfarm.com)

Wet weather threatens lentils, durum

CNS Canada — Wet weather across the Prairies has put a damper on the region’s crop prospects, according to one weather specialist. While drying events in coming weeks will limit further quality declines, it’s not expected to do so as much as some producers would like. “It’s really quite wet in some locations, and it’s […] Read more


Red lentils. (Pulse Canada photo)

Abandonment of some lentil acres likely

CNS Canada — As thunderstorms and wet weather continue across Saskatchewan, so grows the number of lentil fields being put at risk of yield loss and potential abandonment. “Certainly in that west-central part of the province, Rosetown and other significant lentil-growing regions, we have seen some problems and crop failures due to too much moisture,” […] Read more

Lentil acres in Alberta have more than doubled in 2016, thanks in part to better genetics, said provincial crop specialist Neil Whatley.

Pulses’ popularity points to bright future

The boom in pulse acres may just be getting started thanks 
to rising demand, better varieties, and strong profitability

Reading Time: 3 minutes Only one hand shot up when Neil Whatley asked a recent crop tour near Castor if anyone was growing lentils this year. Luckily, a more rigorous Statistics Canada survey tells the real story — there are a whole lot of hands growing lentils this year. “There’s close to six million acres on the Prairies this […] Read more


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

Nominees sought for Pulse Industry Innovator Award

Deadline for nominations is Dec. 8

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Pulse Growers Commission is seeking nominees for its third annual Alberta Pulse Industry Innovator Award. An industry innovator is a person who has worked to help nurture and shape the pulse industry and contributed to the success of the industry as it is today. Innovators have contributed to the industry in one or […] Read more


Northern port supporters appeal to government

Northern port supporters appeal to government

A consortium supporting continued operation of the Port of Churchill met with federal and provincial government representatives this week in search of ways to keep the port open. “This is an emergency for our community, our region and indeed our country,” Churchill Mayor Mike Spence in a release. “We’ve been told by farmers that there […] Read more

Dr. Joyce I. Boye  Photo: (CNW Group/Pulse Canada)

Canadian researcher named FAO pulse ambassador

Canada’s pulse crop sector is celebrating the appointment of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher Joyce Boye as the FAO’s special ambassador for the International Year of the Pulses (IYP) 2016. Boye’s appointment was announced last month at a special event hosted by the FAO Liaison Office for North America in Washington, DC. “I am humbled […] Read more



A pea field affected by root rot often looks yellow and withered, but some infected fields don’t look as bad as others.

Root rot rears its ugly head — and there’s no treatment

Peas are the biggest concern and even when fields look OK, root rot can still be there

Reading Time: 3 minutes Pulse acres have increased in Alberta this year, but unfortunately root rot has increased as well. “We’re hearing and seeing evidence of pretty extreme root rot in pulses, especially peas,” said Mike Harding, research scientist and plant pathologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a great year for […] Read more