Reading Time: < 1 minute Pulse varietal fact sheets are now available. “Important agronomic characteristics and disease-resistance information are provided for varieties of field pea, lentil, fababean, dry bean and soybean,” said Alex Fedko, crop research technologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. In 2019, 16 seed companies submitted entries for testing at up to 20 locations across Alberta and northern […] Read more
Fact sheets of pulse varieties available
Producers may not give peas a chance next year
Lentil acreage may also decline as India’s tariffs and tough growing conditions take a toll
Reading Time: 4 minutes Some Alberta producers could become former pulse growers next year if the markets don’t turn around soon. “It’s the third year in a row that they’ve been at the bottom of the net income,” said Josh Fankhauser, who farms near Claresholm. “The math just doesn’t work.” Yellow peas have been part of Fankhauser’s rotation for […] Read more
The market is shaky but there’s still a lot of pulse acres out there
India’s absence has pushed down acres, but Alberta is still growing one of its largest-ever crops
Reading Time: 4 minutes Pea and lentil prices have crashed, but Alberta farmers are still growing a lot of pulses. “Everything that happened in India caused a shock, not only to Canada, but globally,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive director of Alberta Pulse Growers. The peak year for pulse production in Alberta was two years ago, and acreage has dropped […] Read more
Peas are a bit of bright spot in a gloomy year for pulses
Market watchers say peas have some support but India’s tariffs will weigh heavily for quite a while
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s a bad pun, but there is a bit of a case to ‘give peas a chance’ this year. “Peas are looking better than lentils. If I had to bet on one versus the other, I would probably favour peas,” said Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research. “The reason for that is we hear all […] Read more
Give peas a chance — the future looks bright
Acreage may plummet in the coming year, but the new processing plants are laying the foundation for a surge in production
Reading Time: 5 minutes Here’s some counterintuitive advice: Think about growing peas in 2018. That’s a suggestion from Alan Hall, who has kept a close watch on the pulse sector in his role as ‘new initiatives and project hunter’ with the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund. As such, Hall is well aware of the recent plunge in pea prices, […] Read more
Out of the blue — India’s tax on peas hits growers here
India is our top customer for pulses but the pea tax and ongoing fumigation issue make for ‘a challenging situation’
Reading Time: 2 minutes India’s sudden decision to impose an immediate 50 per cent duty on pea imports has Canadian pulse officials scrambling to find answers — and figure out what comes next. “This sort of moves us beyond even where India has been before in pulse import duties… more than a decade ago we were at 10 per […] Read more
Pea leaf weevils: The danger comes from below
Adults chomping on leaves aren’t the problem with these pests — it’s their offspring feeding on root nodules
Reading Time: 3 minutes Pea leaf weevils are on the move and are now being reported in crops as far north as Edmonton. The pest first appeared in Alberta in 2000 and they have become a huge threat to fababean and field pea growers in the province. Originally nesting in the south, they have migrated and are now appearing […] Read more
Another hangover from last year’s dismal weather
Pea leaf weevil have been spreading north and last summer’s wet conditions will give them a boost this year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Research shows that treating pea seed with a systemic insecticide product is the most effective control measure to prevent pea leaf weevil damage. Legume crops such as field peas and fababeans produce most of the nitrogen they need, but pea leaf weevils “greatly compromise” that process, said provincial crop specialist Neil Whatley. The pest showed […] Read more
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
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
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