Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture Inc. in Winnipeg said large carryouts and lower prices over the past year will likely mean fewer pulse acres this spring.

“Like for all commodities, prices are down quite a bit. So your return-per-acre calculation will change very significantly,” Boersch said. “On top of that, for both lentils and peas, you will have some very significant carryout.”

Seeded lentil acres were estimated at 4.138 million tonnes, down 5.5 per cent from last year. The total would be the least amount of acres in three years and the second-least since 2020. One reason for the decline would be the 2025-26 carryout of 1.695 million tonnes, more than three times larger than the previous year’s.

Dry pea acres were also set to be lower, dropping by 12.3 per cent at 3.078 million acres. The figure was also the lowest in three years and the second-lowest since 2012. Dry pea plantings will decline in all three Prairie provinces, most notably Saskatchewan where it will lose 16.6 per cent for a total of 1.479 million. The 2025-26 carryout for dry peas was 1.31 million tonnes, nearly triple from the previous year.

The amount of edible bean acres is projected to decline by 30.7 per cent at 295,000 acres, the smallest total since 2015 and one year after the biggest edible bean crop since 2020. Manitoba’s seeded area was estimated at 120,000 tonnes this year, down 44.7 per cent from 2025.

StatCan estimated faba beans acres this spring to total 55,900, 18.8 per cent lower than in 2025 and the fewest acres since 2016. It would also mark the fourth straight time faba bean acres in Canada declined year-by-year.

Chickpeas were the only pulse to buck the trend. Canadians are expected to use 6.3 per cent more land than last year to grow the crop at 575,000 acres. It would be the fifth straight yearly increase for chickpeas and its largest seeded area since 2001. This is despite 2026 ending stocks for chickpeas having more than quadrupled from the year before at 275,000 tonnes.

The planting survey was conducted from mid-December to mid-January. However, rising fertilizer prices tied to the escalating conflict in the Middle East could shift planting intentions, said Glacier FarmMedia analyst Bruce Burnett. He said the relatively lower input costs for pulse crops compared to other options could lead to more area going to peas and lentils this spring than earlier expectations.

The post Pulse Weekly: StatCan projects fewer pea and lentil acres appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Peas

• Canada exported 155,841 tonnes of peas in November, which was down by 44 per cent from October. Crop year-to-date pea exports of just over one million tonnes compares with 1.266 million at the same point in 2024/25.
• Bangladesh was the largest destination for peas in November, but India remains the top customer for the year at 416,405 tonnes through four months.
• Yellow peas account for 87 per cent of the total pea exports.
• Crop year-to-date pea exports to China of 90,454 tonnes are down 73 per cent on the year, as Chinese tariffs limited movement earlier in the marketing year. Expectations are for exports to China to pick up in March when tariffs are lifted.

Lentils

• Canadian lentil exports in November of 184,070 tonnes were down 37 per cent from the previous month, with crop year-to-date exports of 775,370 tonnes down 6.6 per cent from the same point the previous year.
• The United Arab Emirates was the largest lentil destination in November, taking 41,636 tonnes, but India remains the top importer of Canadian lentils on the year at 232,112 tonnes through four months.

Chickpeas

• Canada exported 28,338 tonnes of chickpeas in November, up by about 10,000 tonnes from the previous month. Crop-year-to-date chickpea exports of 73,877 tonnes were 39 per cent above the previous year.
• The United States was the largest destination for chickpeas through four months, accounting for 21.5 per cent of the total. Pakistan, Turkey, Italy and Israel round out the top five.

Edible beans

• Canada has exported 79,778 tonnes of dry edible beans through November, with roughly half of that headed to the United States. Year-to-date 2025/26 edible bean exports are up 8.3 per cent from the same point the previous year.
• Edible bean exports in November of 26,356 tonnes were up 6.5 per cent from October.

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A pulse consumption per capita study from 2021, found Canada ranked 47th out of 144 countries, at 3,381 kilograms per capita, an alarming 30 per cent drop from the previous year. It’s been a continuous decline since it reached an all-time high in 2017 of 11,030 kg.

WHY IT MATTERS: Increasing domestic consumption of pulses at home in Canada helps with exporting pressures abroad when trade barriers pop up on the international stage.

Pulses are found to be more highly consumed in developing countries than in industrialized ones, accounting for 75 per cent of the average diet.

Looking to reverse these trends in domestic consumption, Pulse Canada had its 25 by 2025 strategic initiative to diversify the industry by directing 25 per cent of pulse production to new markets and end-use categories to encourage consumption abroad and domestically. Also, the Road to $25 Billion campaign by Protein Industry Canada looks to bolster ingredient manufacturing and food processing at home to make domestic consumption easier.

Reasons for not consuming pulses identified in both North American and European studies include:

• dislike of taste and/or texture,

• low knowledge of health value

• lack of knowledge around cooking method

• negative perceptions of time and effort in preparing and cooking

• potential for gastronomical issues

Pulse Canada did a deep dive into the production volumes of each pulse and have found dry beans, faba beans and chickpeas as the largest growth potential for domestic consumption. Direct-to-consumer promotions such as its Love Canadian Beans social media push have showcased its affordability in food security and their ability to be consumed in a variety of ways in meal and recipe types.

“To complement that, we recognize consumers do need to have an almost direct experience with food to encourage them to consume and make new dishes at home,” says Julianne Curran, vice president of Market Innovation for Pulse Canada.

“We’re leaning into opportunities with food-service operators here in Canada, where consumers may have an opportunity to try something when they’re dining out,” says Curran. “After a positive experience, then they would be more encouraged to perhaps buy a can of beans and make something at home. We do have a lot of natural interest from food service operators here in Canada, that are also looking at increasing their plant-based offerings (on their menu), recognizing affordability being a real big concern amongst their clients.”

The Canadian pulse industry is also making its way into educational institutions to sing the praises of pulses to Gen Z, where university and public-school aged students are putting a higher priority on plant-forward dishes along with the general public.

Alberta Pulse Growers unveiled this academic year, a partnership with School Sports Alberta in promoting its Pulse to Plate campaign in its over 400 schools, including easy-to-make delicious recipes for families on the go.

“The other thing we’ve been doing more of is leveraging some of the marketing messages that you can be highlighting about being nutritional benefits and continuing to educate the companies that are manufacturing bean products for retail sales, so that they can use a lot of that messaging on their labels and in their marketing as well,” says Curran, adding in higher fibre and protein intakes in a food security affordable way.

“There are various nutrition claims that you can make around beans. We’re wanting to ensure that companies know all the things they can say.”

For the food-manufacturing industry, Pulse Canada is promoting the increase of the domestic utilization of faba beans and chickpeas. Given the quality of the crop grown in Canada, it lends itself to value-added processing.

“Faba beans in particular do lend themselves really well to the same type of processing as we’re seeing for dry peas,” says Curran.

“So that’s fractionation processing, flour processing. We’re trying to promote to the food-manufacturing industry here in North America the value in terms of added nutrition and functionality that those ingredients can provide to food products.”

There has been some successful use of fava beans in animal feed, with markets also available in pet food as an end-use product.

Demand for chickpeas has traditionally been for humus, but the versatile pulse can be ground into a gluten-free flour, rich in protein and fibre, for baking, thickening or binding, or used as an egg substitute in vegan recipes.

“It’s got high uptake by consumers, and so we are working to promote chickpeas for those value-added processing streams that are really seeing growth here in North America. We’re doing that through a lot of projects to demonstrate the performance of Canadian chickpeas into some of those newer applications and market that to the food industry,” says Curran.

The post Pulse Canada eyes home-grown push amid lagging consumption appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Why it matters: U.S. pulses compete with Canadian crops on the international export market.

Peas

• · Dry edible pea production was estimated at 838,400 tonnes in the January report, which was down by nearly 100,000 tonnes from the December estimate but still up from the 772,400 tonnes grown in 2024.
• · Average U.S. pea yields were lowered to 1.95 tonnes per hectare from 2.03 T/ha in December, while harvested pea area was down six per cent from the previous month at 430,190 hectares.
• · Green peas are currently trading as high as US$9.60 per bushel (C$13.28) in North Dakota with yellow peas topping out at US$6.25 (C$8.65), according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data.

Lentils

• · Average U.S. lentil yields were raised to 1.25 T/ha, from 1.18 T/ha in December. However, production was revised lower due to a 10 per cent drop in harvested area.
• · Total U.S. lentil production for 2025 is now estimated at 478,860 tonnes. That compares with the December estimate of 502,720 tonnes and the year-ago level of 410,460 tonnes.

Chickpea

• · Chickpea production, at 310,440 tonnes, was down from the previous estimate of 337,020 tonnes, but up by 20 per cent from 2024.
• · Average U.S. chickpea yields of 1.47 T/ha compare with 1.29 T/ha in 2024.

Edible beans

• · U.S. farmers grew 1.218 million tonnes of edible beans in 2025, according to the USDA. That was down from 1.420 million tonnes in the previous year and the December estimate of 1.363 million tonnes.

The post Pulse weekly: U.S. pulse production below early expectations appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

A one-year partnership with School Sports Alberta (SSA), formerly the Alberta Schools Athletic Association, hopes to help student athletes as they search for peak performance in their diets.

WHY IT MATTERS: Increasing domestic consumption of pulse crops with young families helps keep the market for farmers’ crops closer to home.

The partnership, which involves more than 400 schools, includes placing the Alberta pulse logo at athletic events, organizing information booths and featuring the Pulse to Plate campaign as part of the SSA’s Wellness Wednesday program.

“There’s an opportunity to provide recipes I think kids would like and that will help them fuel their success, meet their goals nutritionally,” said Debra McLennan, food and nutrition co-ordinator with Alberta Pulse Growers.

“Something that is quick, easy and delicious, thinking of a food that they may not have realized that there’s a variety of ways you can eat that food. It then links them back to our website to learn more.”

SSA is building a nutrition tab on its website where pulses can be featured.

Efforts to increase Canadian pulse consumption have been a slow but sure voyage.

In 2016, the United Nations declared the International Year of Pulses. Since then, more acres have been dedicated to pulses in Canada, along with increases in domestic consumption.

“There’s a huge increase in value-add opportunities,” McLennan said.

“You’re seeing more foods on grocery store shelves with pulses, whether it’s pea protein or pea fibre. You’re seeing snacks that include pulses that you can grab a bag, just like you grab a bag of potato chips.”

Older millennials now have children in school sports who are looking for environmentally sustainable, healthy and economical alternatives. The price of beef is skyrocketing, which pulses are not meant to replace, but complement, to create a solid diet for student athletes.

“Our producers that grow pulses may also have cattle or livestock on their farm. We’re not saying, ‘Don’t eat that,’ but recognizing adding pulses for cost is a great way to extend a recipe,” McLennan said.

“You’re making chili and you want to feed a crowd. Still buy your one pound of ground beef, but then add more beans to it. So now you can take your recipe from six to eight servings to maybe eight to 10 servings.”

Pulses can be a good food to eat before athletic activities, but are particularly beneficial afterward. They are a good source of protein, which is crucial for muscle repair, along with fibre, iron, B vitamins and antioxidants.

A lack of knowledge about how to introduce pulses to existing recipes without altering flavour can often be a hurdle for young families with student athletes.

“Did you know you can add cooked lentils to a smoothie to increase your protein and fibre? Did you know you can puree white beans and add them to your baking, again, to add protein and fibre and help reduce the fat?” said McLennan.

“The recipe developer that we work with, I always ask her, think of pantry staples. Think of what the typical Albertan would have in their pantry. Let’s come up with some recipes that are like that. Sometimes it’s a longer recipe, but most often it’s a shorter, easy-to-do recipe.”

The Alberta Pulse Growers website offers plenty of recipes for school sports families to try.

“We’ve developed quite a few meal prep type of recipes you can prep and throw into a container, throw them in the cooler, and away you go,” said McLennan.

“It’s fairly new (partnership) for us. We’re excited to be able to share some information with the new audience.”

The post Alberta Pulse Growers fuelling young athletes with local protein source appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The pulse harvest is well underway in Australia, with total pulse production for the country forecast by ABARES to increase by 16 per cent on the year at 6.3 million tonnes.

Why it matters: Australian chickpeas and lentils compete with Canadian supplies on the global market.

Of that total, chickpea production is forecast to dip to 2.120 million tonnes from 2.267 million tonnes grown in 2024/25. Meanwhile, lentil production is forecast at 1.910 million tonnes, which would be up 51 per cent on the year.

Lupin production is forecast at 991,000 tonnes, up 27 per cent, while all other pulses at 1.283 million tonnes would be up by 15 per cent.

Increased demand form India has reportedly helped drive Australian farmers to grow more pulses. Australia exported a record 2.050 million tonnes of chickpeas in 2024/25, with 70 per cent of that total going to India.

“India’s domestic production had been impacted by poor seasonal conditions, resulting in high domestic prices,” said ABARES, noting that the strong sales to India were due to India instituting a tariff free period for Australian chickpeas.

“The increased demand for Australian exports resulted in chickpea prices increasing to over $1,000 (Australian dollars) per tonne, as exporters competed to secure supply from growers,” said ABARES.

The tariff free period ended on March 31, 2025, but the rate was adjusted to 10 per cent rather than the 66 per cent tariffs before the tariff free period.

ABARES expects chickpea exports will dip to 1.714 million tonnes in 2025/26, but sees lentil exports increasing to 1.537 million tonnes from 1.155 million in 2024/25.

The post Pulse weekly: Record Australian pulse crop expected appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Colin Young, manager at Mid-West Grain Ltd. in Moose Jaw, Sask., said while chickpeas haven’t been “immune to the pallor” affecting other commodities, they haven’t seen big gains either. He added that they are in the tail-end of a two-year decline before prices start to come up again.

“I think the market’s stable in the high-(20 cents per pound) to the grower. Whether you call it 26 to 29, I don’t see anything that’s going to push bids over 30 and I don’t see anything that will make it collapse close to red lentil prices,” Young explained.

Prairie Ag Hotwire reported Kabuli chickpeas from eight to 10 mm in diameter had delivered bids of 27 to 34 cents per pound as of Nov. 19.

The growing season in Saskatchewan was “typical”, Young said, as chickpeas returned to early-fall harvests after years of drought conditions forced early combining. Pending Statistics Canada’s production update on Dec. 4, StatCan estimated 292,600 tonnes were harvested in Saskatchewan this year, the largest amount since 2001. The projected yield of 1.504 tonnes per hectare was also the highest since 2022. However, there were some areas of the province which saw difficulties.

“There was a frost event around Sept. 6 that absolutely affected the crops … east of Moose Jaw,” Young said. “In the Weyburn and Estevan area, they were extremely late (due to rain) and didn’t get their stuff harvested until October into November … Very surprisingly, southwest of Swift Current, they had some pretty big storm events in early-August.”

He added that 30 per cent of the chickpea crop would be graded “number two”, 40 per cent were frost-damaged at “number-three to sample grade” and the rest were feed grade.

“The September frost event, combined with the regrowth and later harvest absolutely affected the quality of chickpeas this year,” Young said.

Demand for Canadian chickpeas were “robust”, but they face stiff competition from Russia, the United States, Turkey and Argentina. Young estimated that Canada grew enough chickpeas to supply two year’s worth of global pet food demand for the crop.

“If we can meet the price point our buyers are willing to pay, we have very good prospects of sales. The problem with the price point where the buyers want to be is that it means resistance from growers,” he added.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in its October report, projected carryout stocks for 2025-26 to more than double from the previous year at 145,000 tonnes nationwide. Young expects chickpea prices to stay sideways with “slight downward pressure” in the short term, but prices will slowly increase in the long term.

“I believe we’re entering into the lower end of the price spectrum for the next several crops,” he said. “When I say that, over time, the price of chickpeas will go up, I believe that. However, I feel that the likelihood of a significant change in chickpea prices over the next 12 months is quite low.”

The post Pulse Weekly: Steady prices, high production for chickpeas appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

In Saskatchewan, the province’s weekly crop report showed the average field pea yield as of Oct. 6 was 42 bushels per acre. That would be well above StatCan’s September principal field crop estimates that forecast that forecast Saskatchewan pea yields at 35.5 bu./ac. and compares with 32.6 bu./ac. in 2024-25. Lentils, which were 99.1 per cent harvested, yielded 1,922 pounds per acre, said the province. StatCan reported 1,463 lbs./ac. for 2025-26, up from 1,285 the previous year. Chickpeas lagged behind all other crops at 69.2 per cent harvest completion and reported an average yield of 1,817 lbs./ac. StatCan reported an estimate of 1,342, slightly higher than the average of 1,304 in 2024-25.

Manitoba’s field pea harvest was also complete with the province reporting an average yield of 60 bu./ac. as of Oct. 5, with yields ranging from 30 to 75. StatCan reported the projected average yield at 49.4, compared to last year’s yield of 51.1 Dry beans, grown in the central and east regions, were 90 per cent harvested. Dennis Lange, the province’s pulse specialist, said on Oct. 7 many fields reported up to 2,000 lbs./ac. with some pinto beans reported at 2,500 lbs./ac.

Alberta’s field pea harvest was complete as of Oct. 7 and yields were larger than in previous years. The province reported an average yield of 46.8 bu./ac., 33 per cent above the five-year average. StatCan’s estimate was 40.2, compared to 35.4 last year. Quality was down with only nine per cent of the crop graded 1 Can. compared to 24 per last year. Lentils, grown in the south and central regions, were also 100 per cent harvested. StatCan’s estimated average yield was 1,878 lbs./ac., higher than the 1,254 reported last year. Chickpeas, of which Alberta’s harvest is near complete, had an estimated average yield of 1,781 lbs./ac., compared to 1,400 last year, said StatCan.

The post Pulse Weekly: Yields coming into focus appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Producers across Saskatchewan, and into neighbouring areas of Manitoba and Alberta, can access the site, input their location, and soil type, and find detailed trial results and variety information. The performance data will then help in making informed decisions about which pulse crops perform best in their specific geographic areas and growing environments. The enhanced platform builds on a previous tool, with several significant improvements:

Updated Pulse Varieties: The platform has a broad range of pulse varieties including lentils, peas, chickpeas, faba beans and dry beans.

Advanced Data Sets: Enhanced with detailed data sets that offer deeper insights into variety performance, including ratings for maturity, seed coat colour, protein content and disease resistance.

Weather Data Integration: Weather data is included to compare varietal performance under variable environmental conditions, helping producers understand how different varieties respond to climate patterns.

Superior User Experience: Completely redesigned interface ensures intuitive navigation and streamlined access to critical information. Compare all varieties available for a selected crop and region simultaneously.

Multi-Device Compatibility: Optimized for seamless performance across desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones, enabling farmers to access vital information anywhere, anytime.

Complete Feature Integration: All popular features from the previous version have been preserved and enhanced, ensuring continuity for existing users while providing expanded capabilities.

“We are excited to introduce this powerful new tool that will help pulse producers make more informed variety selection decisions,” said Winston van Staveren, SPG Board Chair in a news release. “The enhanced Pulse Variety Hub represents our continued commitment to supporting farmers with the most transparent and accessible agricultural information available.”

The platform serves as a resource for pulse crop producers seeking to optimize their variety selection based on specific growing conditions, regions, market requirements and production goals. The comprehensive database includes detailed information on agronomic characteristics, average yields, disease resistance profiles, maturity ratings and performance data across various growing environments.

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In the USDA’s first 2025/26 production estimates for the two pulse crops, released Sept. 12, it forecast dry edible pea production at 933,310 tonnes. That would be up by 23 per cent on the year, and the largest crop since 2020.

Projected pea yields, at 2.03 tonnes per hectare (1,814 pounds per acre), were only up by two per cent on the year, with most of the increased production linked to larger seeded area.

U.S. lentil production is forecast to be up by 22 per cent on the year, at 502,720 tonnes. Average yields are forecast at 1.18 tonnes per hectare (1,055 pounds per acre), up five per cent.

Chickpea production is estimated at 337,020 tonnes by the USDA, which compares with 255,460 tonnes in 2024/25.

Dry edible bean production in the U.S. is forecast to be down in 2025 despite improved yields due to a reduction in harvested area. Total edible bean production was forecast at 1.363 million tonnes by the USDA, which compares with 1.419 million tonnes in 2024/25.

Yellow peas are currently priced at around US$4.75 to US$5.75 per bushel in North Dakota, which works out to roughly C$6.57 to C$7.95 per bushel, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data, which is slightly higher than average pricing opportunities in Western Canada.

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