WCPCP2012 by The Western Producer

Western

Canola &Pulse Crops Producer

2012

CPT

INSIDE

Published in the November 29, 2012 Western Producer

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a supplement to The Western Producer

Contents

cutting costs Prairie canola producers are looking at unique ways to cut the cost of production.

Rotation MATTERS Blackleg was back with a vengeance in 2012. It affected production and also delivered an important reminder about the benefits of proper rotations and seed selection.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS Global oilseed supplies are tight and demand for Canadian canola is strong at home and abroad. What can producers expect in 2013?

28 36 CANOLA & Pulse 2012

Alberta’s New OIL BOOM Cargill’s decision to build a new crushing plant in central Alberta suggests continued confidence in canola.

PULSE Maturity The manager of a new pulse processing plant offers his views on western Canada’s maturing pulse industry.

BLUE OVER Greenseed Canola growers looking to maximize their productivity during a narrow harvest window should consider the consequences of early swathing.

Chickpea champion Pulse breeder Bunyamin Tar’an says new varieties will return prairie chickpea acreage to its former glory.

MAnitoba’s MAGIC BEANS Soybean production is growing skyward in Manitoba. How high it goes, nobody knows.

FLAX IS BACK Prairie flax production is on the rebound, but the industry still faces some obstacles.

hot crop, hot markets Mustard prices could add some spice to prairie pocketbooks in 2013. Will current market strength result in greater acreage next spring?

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Western Canola & Pulse Crops Producer is published by Western Producer Media each year in the fall.

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Tests evaluate canola seeding at half rate Prairie farmers see wide-row planters as a possible way to cut input costs and increase net returns. By Ron Lyseng Western Producer staff

ith prices for hybrid canola seed running at around $12 per pound and rising, some growers are taking a serious look at cutting seeding rates. In fact, a few trials in Alberta went from the high rate of six pounds per acre down to an experimental rate of two pounds per acre. One unique strategy being tested by other prairie canola growers is ultra-wide row spacings, the type typically found on corn planters. In 2012, producers tried row spacings ranging from 18 inches all the way up to 22 inches, using either a corn planter or an air drill with plugs in some runs. If the yield on wide-row canola is comparable to conventional spacing, then the cost savings would be significant. For example, at a typical seeding rate of five pounds per acre, hybrid canola seed costs can easily hit $60 per acre. Cutting that to $30 appeals to everyone’s budget. This year, Mark Keating ran a sideby-side comparison on his farm near Russell, Man. He seeded canola with a Bourgault 5810 on 9.8-inch row spacing at five pounds per acre. On the same day, he planted canola on 22-inch row spacing with a used Monosem corn planter that he purchased just for that purpose. The planter seeding rate was 2.5 pounds per acre. Although the growing season got off to a bad start, Keating reported in July that the seeds that went through the Monosem looked better than the seeds that went through the drill. “...In general I would say the planted canola is healthier looking, more aggressive, and emerged and is growing more evenly than the drilled canola,” said Keat-

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

Corn planters are generating interest among canola growers looking for ways to cut production costs. Producer Craig Shaw, left, from Lacombe, Alta., seeded some demonstration plots last year using a 12-foot Monosem planter. | FILE PHOTO

ing in an email. “I made my last glyphosate application as late as possible, but I foresee greater weed pressure with the Monosem due to the wide spacing,” he added. “But the drilled canola isn’t exactly robust either, so maybe there won’t be much difference at the end of the year.” The end of the year came and the answer, as the song suggests, was blowing in the wind. Mother Nature messed up the early part of the growing season, then returned at harvest with high winds that wrapped the canola swaths into big fluffy balls. Despite the lost data, Keating came away with a few observations. “The Monosem plants had a darker green colour through the summer. But in the end, the only thing that really counts

is yield, and I don’t think we can make any judgement on that in 2012.” Keating said the investment in a used corn planter is minor when compared to his annual investment in canola seed. “The cost of the planter is about 20 percent of what I spend on canola seed every year. “So, yes, there’s a risk in trying the planter at half rate. But there’s also a big risk seeding canola at the full rate through a drill.” About 30 kilometres south at Foxwarren, Man., the wind wasn’t as bad, so Dereck Tibbatts was able to get valid yield comparisons on his row spacing trials. Tibbatts normally puts down 5.2 pounds of seed per acre. On his widerow trials, he cut back to 2.7 pounds per

acre. He says the rising cost of seed was the main reason for the experiment. “I seed with a parallel link drill on 10inch row spacings. It was pretty easy to turn it into a 20-inch row spacing drill. We just dropped a shotgun shell into every second run,” says Tibbatts. “Germination and emergence were very good. I think having more plants in each row helps the crop. You know sometimes you have a plant, then an empty space, then another plant. “The wide-row spacing makes each row more compact. There doesn’t seem to be competition among the individual plants like you have in some crops. There’s a lot of ground between the rows, so that’s where the plants go.” At harvest, he weighed the canola crops with his grain cart. The adjacent field, which was seeded at the normal 5.2 pound rate and standard 10-inch row spacings, was the first field seeded in 2012. It yielded 41 bushels per acre. The wide-row field was the last field to be seeded in 2012. Because of the timing, this field had more aster yellows than his other canola

fields. It yielded 32 bu. per acre. “When you look at everything the wide-row field had going against it, and it still got 32, I have to think that wide-row spacing at half rate can equal or even beat the way we have been growing the crop. “Next year, I’m going to make sure we get the wide-row field seeded earlier so we get a better comparison.” In Alberta, sugar beet and vegetable growers have been using the Europeanbuilt Monosem planter for years. Alberta corn growers are also accustomed to planting with John Deere, Case and Kinze planters, so the idea of pulling a gravity box planter around in the field is not a novel idea. Lacombe, Alta., farmer Craig Shaw had heard about wide-row canola and pulse crops in Australia and other places. He wanted to see for himself if there was a yield drag at the widest spacings. Shaw said it was also time to start addressing some of the issues associated with putting canola seed through an air drill. So last winter, he arranged some field

demos with a 12-foot Monosem planter. He picked the higher priced planter because the company specializes in small seeded crops. The three North American built corn planters are designed for larger seeds. “When the research station heard about it, they got enthused. Then the Canola Commission got involved,” Shaw said. “Pretty soon we had a three-year research project in the works. There were leftover funds from the reduced tillage program, so they used that money to buy the Monosem. “If we can get three good years of research on a number of sites, without too much interference from the weather, we should be able to draw some conclusions about seeding rates and planters.” Shaw says there are two main problems putting canola seed through an air system, even a precision drill. “One. The metering system. Seed Master is the only drill so far to address this problem. Other metering systems give you gaps and clumps. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

More research needed on wide-row spacing, says agronomist There may be a fit for wide-row canola spacing, but only if all the agronomic factors fall into place. That’s the opinion of Dan Orchard, Canola Council agronomist for central Alberta. “Most of the research shows that it’s very rare for wide-row spacing canola to equal or exceed conventional row spacing,” said Orchard. But more testing is needed to get an accurate comparison. “For one thing, air drills and air seeders do not put canola seed in the perfect spot,” he said. “You can only do that with a planter, although some of the new drills do have improved seed placement.” Research shows that planters place seed more accurately and consistently. Emergence is also more uniform, so field operations such as spraying can be done in a timely manner on plants that are all at the same growth stage. While uniform staging is significant in all crops, Orchard said the importance of uniformity increases as the value of the crop increases. Across the Prairies, canola seed mortality is estimated at about 40 percent. That high number is due to excessive seeding speeds, seed bounce, seeds going too deep and a variety of other factors. “All these little things add up. It’s even difficult to achieve good seed placement with a hoe drill,” said Orchard. “With perfect management, good growing conditions and the singulation you get through a corn planter, you can bring that mortality rate down to 10 or 15 percent.” The math is pretty simple. Five pounds per acre at $12 a pound equals a $60 per acre for seed. Forty percent mortality means seed losses of two pounds or $24 per acre. At five pounds per acre, reducing mortality to 10 percent means a loss of half a pound, or $6 per acre.

If a grower is confident of lowering seed mortality to 10 percent through better management and using a planter, then lowering the seeding rate becomes a viable option. “Some people question the research (on wide-row spacings) because it was conducted eight years ago,” said Orchard. “They think the latest hybrids are better and branch out sooner, so they’ll quickly cover the ground between widely spaced rows. I don’t agree with that. I don’t think they do branch out sooner. “The only reason wide-row spacing might have shown lower yields eight years ago is weed control. We have more weed control options today and that might give wide-row spacing a better chance.” In the future, wide-row spacings might be might be as good or better than conventional narrow-row spacing in canola, Orchard said. But it will only happen if all the agronomic factors have been addressed. “Right now, I’m neither for or against wide-row spacing. We need more information,” he said. Agriculture Canada’s Semiarid Prairie Agriculture Research Centre (SPARC) at Swift Current, Sask., recently conducted canola trials at nine-inch and 18-inch spacings, but the studies were not focused on row spacing. But even if the research had focused on row spacing, it would be difficult to get valid results, said Brian McConkey who works at SPARC. “The difficulty is that canola is such a plastic plant. You can do all kinds of things to it without affecting yield,” he said. “It has so much branching compared to grasses and cereals. All that branching compensates for things that might have a negative effect on other crops. “I think that’s why we saw no yield difference between canola on nine-inch and 18-inch row spacings.” v — LYSENG

7 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

“Two. Air velocity. As drills become wider and wider, this becomes a more significant problem. We used to say that we’ll just cut the hoses all to the same length, but that doesn’t work anymore.” Shaw said neighbouring farmers did air velocity checks this year. The simple but effective tests involved pulling off one hose at a time and putting the velocity meter up to the open hose. “The result was they had major variations in air velocity. And that affects seed placement. “On a precision drill, they found a seed depth variation of one inch. That’s down the same seed row. That’s going to give you huge variations in germination and emergence. “The guys who have been using their planters for canola say they get very

uniform germination and emergence. The whole field flowers at the same time. It’s all ready for spray applications at the same time. Same for swathing.” Shaw said the canola growers with planters are seeding at a rate of two to 2.5 pounds per acre, depending on seed size. At the high end of the seeding rate, some growers with air drills are putting down six pounds per acre. “Cutting back by a couple pounds of seed per acre may not seem like much until you spread it out over a thousand acres. “The TUA has become part of the world we live in, so two or three or maybe four pounds less seed can be a substantial saving. In a planter, canola seed passes through very small holes in the planter

disc. Last year, some growers had problems with seed treatment flaking off and plugging the holes. Shaw says he’s heard of a blow back system that keeps the holes clear. If there’s a problem locating the right canola disc for the North American built planters, there are machine shops that custom build them for farmers. “Residue management is another critical factor in using a planter for canola. You need a residue management wheel out in front so you have a clean seedbed,” said Shaw. “But if your rows are any closer than 12 inches, the trash manager throws the residue from one row over to the next row. And that defeats the whole purpose. I think 18 inches should give you enough space between the rows.” ❖

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CANOLA & Pulse 2012

Blackleg an important reminder about rotations, varietal selection By Ed White Western Producer staff

fter the widespread, unexpected and, in some cases, severe outbreak of blackleg in canola fields last summer, canola experts are recommending a surprising remedy: nothing. “Nothing really has changed,” said Derwyn Hammond, a canola agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, in an interview. “The genetic resistance (in recent canola varieties) has given us pretty effective suppression of the disease for quite a long time, but it is only a level of tolerance, not immunity. It is a matter of the system and how much pressure you’re putting on varieties.” The best response to blackleg is a simple one, he added. Farmers need to get back to doing what they should be doing anyway: rotating, scouting and paying attention to the varieties they seed. Farmers across the West this summer reported heightened outbreaks of blackleg, a canola disease that was once a great plague on the Prairies, but in recent years has faded toward the background. Along with blackleg, aster yellows were a big concern and farmers were generally disappointed when they harvested what they expected to be big crops. “Everybody thought – we thought – that they had a good crop, and that was true until you got it under the combine,” said East Selkirk, Man., canola grower Brian Chorney. “When you’re pushing rotations, that’s when you get caught.” The big outbreaks of blackleg, aster yellows and generally lower-thanexpected yields is being attributed to a combination of weather and tight rotations. Hammond said blackleg likes warm, humid weather early in the season to produce the lesions that allow blackleg to spread. Infection spreads when rain splashes the spores out into the crop. The disease can cause great damage with mid-season heat as stem cankers

Blackleg lesions are usually found at the base of the stem or at points of leaf attachment. Lesions are typically white or grey with a dark border. | FILE PHOTO

restrict the plant’s ability to pump water towards the productive top of the bushy plant. Some farmers saw the symptoms of blackleg while the crop was still mostly green, with early-maturing patches revealing a problem in the crop. But many on the usually wet eastern Prairies probably thought they were looking at patches of sclerotinia infection, or just dry areas. The re-emergence of blackleg in the eastern Prairies, where it is normally not a problem, might be a product of last summer’s weather, canola experts say. But surveys of blackleg have found new “races” of the disease developing in southern Manitoba, so the problem could become more evident. Hammond said farmers in some areas are facilitating the development of nastier types of blackleg by pushing rotations. “With tight rotations, the selection pressure will select for races that are

more virulent,” said Hammond. Farmers should ensure they are growing “R” rated varieties if they are concerned about blackleg, he said. They should also rotate between canola varieties so that blackleg strains are not encouraged to become virulent by repeated experience with one type of resistance. Rotation is the most important management tool. It breaks the ability of blackleg to grow and develop and evolve between tightlyrotated canola crops. “When we spread it out to three or four years (between canola crops), we know we reduce the danger a lot,” said Chorney. If farmers are wise, they will not assume 2012 was an aberration that can be forgotten, canola experts say. Production problems should be viewed as an important reminder about the benefits of proper rotations and good disease management. ❖

9 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

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Watching the markets Tight global supplies and new crushing capacity bolster outlook for Canadian canola growers. By D’Arce McMillan Farm Management Editor

ith global oilseed supply perhaps the tightest ever, buyers will have a hand-to-mouth existence — at least until the South American soybean harvest arrives, providing new product early in 2013. That should mean Canadian farmers will enjoy solid prices for canola this year and the need to rebuild stocks should support prices in 2013-14. As it has for several years, the wider global economy presents the wild card. The euro zone is struggling with a debt crisis. The U.S. also faces a fiscal cliff and the fractious U.S. Congress must find a way to cut spending without hurting job recovery. China’s growth has faltered and faces a potential implosion of its housing bubble. So far, policy-makers seem to be making enough progress to avert disaster and allow most economies to post weak growth. While the global economy is unpredictable, the oilseed market knows one thing for certain. Major oilseed production regions have suffered a series of disappointing harvests due to weather challenges. It began with dry weather that hurt harvests in South America early this year. Brazil’s soybean crop fell nine million tonnes to 66.5 million and Argentina fell eight million to 41 million. There were high hopes for oilseed production in the northern hemisphere, but North America and Europe also had challenges. The latest United States Department of Agriculture projection for the U.S. soybean crop is 77.8 million tonnes, down about 6.4 million tonnes from the year before. Europe’s rapeseed crop is pegged at 18.8 million tonnes, down from 19.1 million the year before. In early summer, some Canadian analysts talked about the potential for a record 16 million tonne canola crop, but disease, dry weather and wind lowered yields. The September Statistics Canada estimate is 13.36 million tonnes, down about 1.1 million tonnes from last year.

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

With oilseed production across the globe falling short of projections, Canadian growers should see good prices through the next year. | FILE PHOTO

TIGHT SUPPLY At the end of 2011-12, global stocks of all oilseeds (including soybeans, canola, palm, cotton, sunflower, peanut and copra) fell to 60.4 million tonnes, the USDA said, down five percent from the year before and down 27 percent from 2010-11. Record large South American harvests are forecast for 2012-13, based on an assumption of average weather. Argentina and southern Brazil currently have excess soil moisture in many areas, while Mato Grosso, the largest soybean-producing state in Brazil, is dry. But even if production records are made, they will barely make up for the small northern hemisphere crops. The USDA forecasts Brazil’s crop at 81 million tonnes of soybeans (previous record 75.3 million in 2010-11) and Argentina’s crop at 55 million tonnes (previous record 52.7 million in 2009). Neighbouring Paraguay and Uruguay are also expected to have large crops. Even with that, and increasing palm oil production in Malaysia and Indonesia, the USDA expects global oilseed stocks at the end of 2012-13 to recover only six

percent to 63.96 million tonnes. Canadian canola will contribute nothing to that minor increase. Agriculture Canada forecasts that, by the end of the crop year, canola stocks will fall to a measly 450,000 tonnes, down from 788,000 last year and 2.2 million two years ago. So the market will likely have to keep prices attractive through late winter and early spring to maintain oilseed acreage in the northern hemisphere against lively competition from feed grains and wheat. ACREAGE UNCERTAIN But will Canadian farmers continue to push their rotations after the experience this past summer with increased disease pressure? Seeded area grew to 21.3 million acres this past spring, almost double the amount 10 years ago. Some believe that might be a maximum and that producers might ease off a little in spring 2013. The new environment of greater flexibility in marketing wheat, durum and malting barley might give farmers more confidence to lengthen their canola rotations.

However, there will also be pressure to keep acreage up. Agriculture Canada forecasts that because of the smaller crop this year, domestic crushers will be forced to process only 6.5 million tonnes of canola, down from about seven million in 2011-12. That implies some capacity will sit idle and the situation could get worse if production does not recover to at least 14.5 million. DOMESTIC DEMAND GROWTH Canola crushing companies are betting that farmers will increase production. They’re investing in new crush capacity, with more than 500,000 tonnes per year of new capacity to be added in Canada in 2013. Two new plants in the U.S. will buy a portion of their needs from Canada. • Northstar Agri Industries this summer opened a thousand tonne a day crushing plant just south of the Manitoba border at Hallock, Minn., which is expected to get some of its supply from Canada. • Bunge is more than doubling its canola crushing plant at Altona, Man., to 2,500 tonnes per day and it’s adding a deodorizer to process the oil. It’s expected to open in early 2013 to start processing this year’s crop. Another Bunge plant in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., will also double its capacity down the road.

Canadian supply & demand: canola (in million tonnes) Seeded area (million acres) Harvested area (million acres) Yields (bu./acre) Production Imports Total supply Exports Total domestic use Ending stocks Average price ($/tonne) * forecast

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13*

17.60 16.91 33.38 12.77 0.22 15.69 7.11 6.38 2.20 $568

18.97 18.71 34.10 14.49 0.11 16.80 8.70 7.31 0.79 $601

21.33 20.84 28.20 13.36 0.13 14.27 7.20 6.62 0.45 $630 - $670

Source: Statistics Canada | WP GRAPHIC

• Legumex Walker’s Pacific Coast crushing plant in Warden, Wash., with a capacity of 1,100 tonnes a day, is also expected to start up operations in the first quarter of 2013. It too will take some Canadian canola. • Richardson International is expanding its 840,000 tonne per year canola plant in Yorkton, Sask., by 25 percent, moving it to more than a million tonnes a year. Construction is expected to be complete late in 2013. To get supply, these plants will have to bid against the export market, which will

remain strong for the foreseeable future. Restrictions related to blackleg plant disease remain on exports to China, but crush capacity in the regions open to Canadian canola has grown and is more than adequate to take the amount Canada can export. Japan, the U.S. and Mexico also remain committed canola importers. So although there are concerns about the dangers associated with short rotations, the economic incentive to maximize canola seeding will be hard to resist. ❖

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15 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

Cargill investment in Alberta suggests continued confidence in canola By Mary MacArthur Western Producer staff

uilding a multimillion-dollar canola crushing plant is not something undertaken lightly. But Cargill says it is so confident in the future of the canola industry that it is building a second canola crushing plant on the Prairies to fill the growing demand for canola oil across North America. “It’s a big investment and not without risk, said Mark Stonacek, president of Cargill’s grain and oilseed supply chain, North America, during the announcement of a new 850,000 tonne a year canola crushing facility in Camrose, Alta., earlier this year. “We’re relying on the competitiveness of canola and the continued competitiveness of canola and that’s not a riskfree proposition,” he said. With the growing demand for specialty oil, especially in cooking, the proposed Camrose plant will have the ability to crush both traditional and specialty oils. Stonacek said demand for Canadian canola can only increase as more food companies and restaurants understand the benefits of canola oil in cooking and baking, especially specialty canola oil. “We can continue to see good success with food companies in North America.” Ken Stone, manager of oilseed processing, merchandising with Cargill, said the company expects a large percentage of the crush will be from specialty oil. The plant will divide its crush time between the two oil types, depending on the volume of specialty canola. Canola will be crushed at the Camrose facility and sent to Cargill’s facility in Clavet, Sask., for processing or to other markets focused on North America. Prairie farmers seeded a record 21 million acres of canola this year, up by 2.4 million acres, or 12.8 percent from 2011. It was the sixth consecutive annual record for canola area. However, yields were down across the canola growing area, dropping 17 percent from the previous year. Yield losses were blamed on a combination of weather and disease with more farmers pushing canola in their rotations. Stonacek believes rotation and yields

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

Cargill president Len Penner announced in October that the company plans to build a new 850,000 tonne canola crushing plant in Camrose, Alta. The plant will process generic and specialty canola seed. | WP photo by Mary MacArthur

will be managed by new technology and won’t be a concern for canola crushers. “The growth Canada has experienced, we expect the volume of production to be maintained,” he said. “A lot of good use of technology will need to be in place to manage some of the issues with canola. We’re confident in the Canadian farmer and his ability to compete globally.” The announcement of Cargill’s Camrose facility, increased capacity at the Bunge facility in Altona, Man., and Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., and Cargill’s refinery addition in Clavet will boost Canadian crush capacity to 10 million tonnes. Greg Kostal of Kostal Ag Consulting said it could be argued that the speed of crush capacity growth may be outpacing demand for canola oil. But most crushing plants are owned by large multinational companies with

operations around the world, suggesting there must be a strong belief in the future of canola. “I believe they have confidence in canola, oil and meal and its demand and growth traits, and they also have confidence in canola genetics that can provide the supply on a regular basis,” said Kostal. While technology can’t “bullet proof” farmers from poor yields or problems with production, Kostal doesn’t believe canola yields will be a limiting factor for crushing plants. For farmers, the growing canola crush capacity doesn’t seem to have a downside. “Anytime you can have more valueadded industry at home, your price ought to be better,” he said. Cargill’s latest announcement of the Camrose crushing facility is one more “dot on the map,” he added. ❖

2012

Informed seeding decisions.

This is preliminary data. For the latest data, go to www.canolaperformancetrials.ca

Brought to you by:

TOOLS TO HELP YOU MAKE BETTER CHOICES The CPT system includes both small plot and large field scale trials. Results for 2012 are based on 23 small plot trials and 81 field scale trials across the Prairies. Trial results that missed the print deadline for this brochure will be available online at www.canolaperformancetrials.ca. Site distribution is based on seeded acres in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. The small plot system ensures that: • All varieties are treated with appropriate commercially associated herbicides and seed treatments. • An independent third party representative inspects all trials. • Varieties are in blocks based on maturity. That way, harvest occurs at the appropriate time to minimize harvest losses due to maturity differences. Field scale comparisons add extra perspective for assessing consistency in variety performance. For field scale plots, two or more varieties were compared at each site, and each site had a common check, 73-75 RR. Comparisons are based on harvested strips of 0.5 to 1.5 acres each. Field scale data is not necessarily replicated in all cases, but the data presented has been audited to make sure it complies with CPT protocols.

CV – For coefficient of variation (CV), the lower the CV value, the more reliable the test. For example, if comparing results from two test locations, one with a CV of 4% and the other with a CV of 8%, the test with the CV of 4% can be considered more reliable. There is always variability in research trials. The key is designing and managing experiments so CVs stay within a reasonable range. For the CPT, experience has shown that CVs below 15% indicate good test reliability. LSD – The least significant difference (LSD) for each dataset indicates whether differences between varieties are statistically meaningful. Varieties should only be considered different in yield performance if the numerical difference between them is greater than the LSD value. Using the sample table below, if the LSD is 5.0, varieties A and B are not statistically different, B and C are not statistically different, but A and C are statistically different. In the yield graphs for each season zone (see page 20), LSD for each variety group is given on the left.

Variety

Yield (bu./ac.)

LSD

5.0

Long Season Mid Season Short Season

A total of 81 field scale trials were approved this year: AB=33, SK=27, MB=20, BC=1

Results are organized by short, medium and long season zones. CPT uses the Western Canada Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee (WCC/ RRC) season zones, which are based on typical frost free days, growing degree days and soil type. Grey wooded soils, for example, are in the short season zone. See Table A for specific numbers for each zone.

Season Short Medium Long

Table A: Season Zones Growing Degree Days Frost Free Days (Base 5ºC)* 75–95 1,100–1,450 95–115 1,450–1,700 115+ 1,700+

*On a base 5ºC scale, growing degree days only accumulate on days when highs are above 5ºC.

Small plot and field scale data are presented separately in the following tables. For more detailed performance results, growing conditions and production details for specific trial sites, use the online CPT database at www.canolaperformancetrials.ca.

The tables include yield, days to maturity, height and lodging scores for each variety. Lodging scores are between 1 and 5, with 1 being no lodging

and 5 being completely lodged. Gross revenue is based on yield multiplied by $14.79/bu. This is based on $591.60 per tonne, the March 2013 futures close on October 1, 2012, and a 55-pound bushel weight. Premiums are included in the calculations for specialty market varieties. In the tables, varieties are listed numerically and alphabetically, starting with Clearfield (CL) varieties, followed by Liberty Link (LL) and Roundup Ready (RR). Each zone and small plot location is identified on the map above. 1. To begin, use the map above. Identify your growing season zone and trial locations closest to your farm. 2. To evaluate yield potential, look at all small plot and field scale locations in your growing season zone and the average yield for your zone. 3. Consider other information such as maturity, lodging resistance and cost. The online database at www.canolaperformancetrials.ca includes an Economic Calculator. 4. Ask your seed dealer for more information on specific varieties.

Canola Performance Trials 2012 Results Long Season Zone: Small plot results by location Height (in.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross Revenue/ac

Days to Maturity

Lodging

Height (in.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross Revenue/ ac

Days to Maturity

Lodging

Height (in.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross Revenue/ac

Days to Maturity

Lodging

Height (in.)

Portage, MB

Lodging

Melita, MB

Days to Maturity

Clearfield 5525 CL 5535 CL VR 9560 CL LSD Liberty Link 5440 L120 L130 L150 L154 L159 LSD Roundup Ready 72-65 RR 6050 RR 6060 RR 73-45 RR 73-75 RR 74-44 BL 94H04 V12-1* VR 9559 G VT 520 G 1990 1970 1999 LSD CV

38 41 44 3.9

$565 $600 $658

88.0 82.8 90.8

1.3 1.8 1.8

47 45 49

35 30 39 6.9

$519 $442 $572

88.5 82.8 86.8

1.8 1.8 1.5

42 40 44

34 39 34 4.6

$505 $571 $505

110.0 109.0 110.7

– – –

50 48 52

58 53 58 10.3

$852 $783 $859

84.8 82.8 85.3

1.3 1.0 2.0

47 48 45

34 40 46 39 40 42 4.4

$507 $596 $675 $571 $595 $620

87.8 84.5 83.5 87.3 87.3 90.5

1.3 1.0 1.5 2.0 1.3 1.0

47 47 43 46 47 50

39 31 35 36 40 32 6.1

$570 $462 $524 $530 $597 $470

88.3 86.8 83.8 85.5 88.0 88.3

1.3 1.8 1.3 1.8 1.8 1.8

41 40 39 42 41 45

37 26 32 31 36 36 7.5

$546 $388 $479 $460 $535 $539

109.3 110.3 110.7 110.3 110.3 109.0

– – – – – –

49 46 46 50 52 51

57 53 57 58 58 60 5.5

$840 $787 $847 $853 $861 $888

82.3 84.3 82.0 83.3 83.3 83.8

1.0 1.5 1.0 1.5 1.5 1.5

48 45 47 48 47 49

41 44 32 44 46 39 40 42 41 35 29 36 48 5.2 11.0

$610 $646 $473 $654 $679 $582 $594 $658 $605 $512 $425 $529 $717

84.5 81.0 89.3 80.3 82.8 83.3 82.8 88.3 87.8 91.3 86.5 89.8 84.5

1.8 2.0 1.3 2.0 2.0 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.5

42 40 48 39 44 42 47 46 48 49 43 48 45

31 29 32 31 38 33 33 34 39 36 34 31 39 5.0 12.2

$462 $427 $479 $451 $565 $488 $484 $533 $579 $532 $507 $456 $571

87.0 83.0 92.3 84.0 86.8 89.5 86.8 87.5 88.5 91.0 87.0 91.0 85.5

3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 2.3 2.8 2.0 2.0 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.0

36 41 42 37 38 39 40 41 43 42 42 45 39

33 34 33 37 41 32 30 35 37 33 36 25 38 6.1 11.9

$483 $497 $492 $541 $610 $469 $442 $548 $542 $494 $529 $369 $561

109.0 108.3 110.0 106.7 109.3 107.7 107.0 110.0 109.3 112.0 108.0 110.3 109.0

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

49 48 51 46 46 50 51 48 52 49 52 52 52

48 49 54 59 55 55 52 51 55 52 54 54 55 5.5 7.8

$710 $722 $804 $877 $816 $818 $773 $788 $819 $766 $800 $802 $808

84.3 83.8 85.5 84.3 83.3 84.3 82.0 83.5 83.0 85.0 81.8 85.0 84.5

1.8 1.5 1.0 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.8 2.0 1.5 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.0

41 44 48 44 48 45 45 45 47 52 43 48 47

Yield (bu/ac)

Variety

Dauphin, MB

Gross Revenue/ac

Boissevain, MB

Mid Season Zone: Small plot results by location Height (in.)

Lodging

Days to Maturity

Gross Revenue/ac

Yield (bu/ac)

Melfort, SK Height (in.)

Lodging

Days to Maturity

Gross Revenue/ac

Yield (bu/ac)

Indian Head, SK Height (in.)

Lodging

Days to Maturity

Gross Revenue/ac

Yield (bu/ac)

Foam Lake, SK Height (in.)

Lodging

Days to Maturity

Gross Revenue/ac

Yield (bu/ac)

Height (in.)

Aberdeen, SK

Lodging

Days to Maturity

Gross Revenue/ac

Variety

Yield (bu/ac)

Arborg, MB

Clearfield 5525 CL 40 $595 94.0 1.3 41 34 $500 – – 37 57 $846 99.3 2.8 36 34 $502 93.9 2.4 51 38 $555 90.3 3.0 41 5535 CL 40 $599 94.0 1.5 39 29 $426 – – 34 50 $740 92.0 3.0 32 27 $403 90.9 2.6 49 38 $559 89.3 3.8 35 VR 9560 CL 41 $613 102.0 2.0 42 37 $551 – – 38 56 $829 100.8 3.8 39 35 $513 96.0 3.0 54 46 $682 90.3 3.8 45 LSD 8.5 4.2 8.2 4.7 8.4 Liberty Link 5440 39 $572 95.0 1.0 42 40 $594 – – 35 61 $903 96.3 2.0 37 32 $477 92.6 2.1 50 52 $767 89.7 2.0 43 L120 25 $372 94.0 1.3 38 31 $462 – – 33 55 $820 96.0 2.3 36 33 $483 93.3 1.5 50 46 $675 89.5 3.5 40 L130 37 $548 94.0 1.5 41 32 $472 – – 34 61 $903 94.0 2.8 36 28 $416 90.1 2.0 49 51 $755 89.3 2.8 43 L150 35 $521 95.0 1.8 40 36 $525 – – 35 64 $947 97.5 3.3 36 32 $467 94.0 3.5 51 50 $742 90.3 3.8 41 L154 35 $517 95.0 1.3 39 39 $572 – – 35 65 $966 96.5 3.3 35 32 $468 93.8 2.4 53 49 $719 90.5 3.3 44 40 31 $465 93.5 2.1 55 51 $749 90.0 3.0 46 L159 37 $547 94.0 1.3 41 36 $530 – – 36 68 $1,003 98.3 2.3 LSD 7.2 7.4 6.5 4.0 7.21 Roundup Ready 72-65 RR 41 $607 95.0 1.8 39 37 $548 – – 36 52 $770 97.0 3.8 33 34 $505 93.3 1.8 47 44 $649 90.3 4.5 37 6050 RR 35 $516 94.0 1.5 37 39 $572 – – 37 53 $780 94.3 3.8 33 29 $435 91.3 2.0 47 38 $560 89.3 4.5 36 6060 RR 36 $536 94.0 2.0 39 40 $595 – – 36 59 $880 99.0 2.8 35 38 $561 96.4 2.6 51 48 $709 91.3 2.8 41 73-45 RR 44 $653 94.8 1.3 37 38 $560 – – 35 51 $753 94.0 3.3 33 29 $422 90.1 2.3 46 44 $645 89.3 4.3 37 32 $469 92.9 3.0 48 44 $649 90.3 4.3 39 73-75 RR 56 $833 94.0 2.8 36 44 $657 – – 37 58 $862 96.5 3.0 37 74-44 BL 39 $571 94.0 1.3 37 41 $599 – – 36 53 $785 96.3 2.8 35 37 $547 92.3 1.9 48 45 $667 89.5 4.0 39 94H04 40 $597 94.0 2.3 38 37 $551 – – 38 48 $710 94.8 4.3 32 31 $453 92.0 2.3 51 43 $641 89.3 3.8 35 38 34 $530 93.9 2.3 51 51 $791 89.5 3.3 42 V12-1* 37 $584 102.0 2.3 42 42 $656 – – 37 66 $1,015 99.0 3.5 VR 9559 G 48 $712 102.0 1.3 41 40 $599 – – 36 60 $881 98.0 2.8 37 36 $527 94.1 2.3 53 43 $635 90.5 2.5 45 VT 520 G 41 $610 102.0 1.3 41 33 $483 – – 37 60 $894 99.5 2.0 39 32 $469 96.4 1.8 53 44 $653 91.8 2.0 45 1990 43 $641 95.0 1.5 38 41 $602 – – 37 55 $811 97.3 3.3 33 42 $621 94.8 2.8 50 46 $680 90.0 3.5 40 1970 39 $574 95.0 1.5 41 35 $515 – – 39 56 $825 99.8 2.5 38 37 $543 97.4 2.4 53 46 $680 91.8 2.0 45 1999 48 $703 95.0 1.5 39 41 $608 – – 36 57 $842 94.8 3.3 37 35 $523 92.6 2.4 47 44 $656 90.0 3.5 38 74-47 CR 47 $694 95.0 2.0 38 45 $671 – – 38 60 $894 98.0 4.0 38 33 $488 94.0 3.0 51 41 $611 90.0 5.0 40 LSD 7.2 5.5 7.0 3.2 9.8 CV 14.1 10.4 8.9 7.3 9.7 *Gross revenue for this Cargill Specialty Canola hybrid includes a premium of $1.13 per bushel for the first 30 bushels. Cargill has the option to purchase growers’ full production with applicable premiums. Yield is rounded to the nearest whole number. Gross revenue is based on non-rounded yield. Gross revenue is yield multiplied by $14.79/bu.

Canola Performance Trials 2012 Results Long Season Zone:

Clearfield LSD: 6.4

Average yield for 4 small plot sites (bu./ac.)

Liberty Link LSD: 5.9 Roundup Ready LSD: 5.4

60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 5525 CL 5535 CL VR9560 CL 5440

L120

L130

L150

L154

L159

72-65 RR 6050 RR 6060 RR 73-45 RR 73-75 RR 74-44 BL 94H04

V12-1 VR 9559 G VT 520 G

Mid Season Zone:

Clearfield LSD: 6.5

Average yield for 13 small plot sites (bu./ac.)

Liberty Link LSD: 5.4

1990

1970

1999

Roundup Ready LSD: 6.2 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 5525 CL 5535 CL VR9560 CL 5440

L120

L130

L150

L154

L159

72-65 RR 6050 RR 6060 RR 73-45 RR 73-75 RR 74-44 BL 94H04

V12-1 VR 9559 G VT 520 G 1990

Short Season Zone:

Clearfield LSD: 7.8

Average yield for 6 small plot sites (bu./ac.)

Liberty Link LSD: 5.4

1970

1999 74-47 CR

Roundup Ready LSD: 6.6

60 55 50 45 40 35 30

25 20 5525 CL 5535 CL VR9560 CL 5440

L120

L130

L150

L154

L159

72-65 RR 6050 RR 6060 RR 73-45 RR 73-75 RR 74-44 BL 94H04

V12-1 VR 9559 G VT 520 G

1990

74-47 CR 73-15 RR

Canola Performance Trials 2012 Results Mid Season Zone: Small plot results by location Lodging

Height (In.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross revenue/ac

Days to maturity

Lodging

Height (In.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross revenue/ ac

Days to maturity

Lodging

Height (In.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross revenue/ac

Days to maturity

Lodging

Height (In.)

$929 $787 $950 6.21

98.5 95.3 98.3

2.0 2.8 2.0

47 44 53

62 54 71 7.3

$919 $802 $1,044

91.3 87.8 92.5

2.8 3.8 3.0

44 41 44

46 38 52 7.2

$684 $559 $767

97.3 94.5 99.3

2.0 3.8 2.5

45 41 47

25 24 27 4.2

$362 $360 $407

90.0 90.3 88.0

– – –

37 37 42

65 63 65 66 69 66

$958 $934 $955 $972 $1,022 $978 2.95

97.5 96.8 96.3 97.5 97.8 97.5

1.5 2.0 1.3 2.5 2.3 1.8

48 45 45 48 49 50

73 68 69 76 77 75 5.0

$1,078 $1,011 $1,015 $1,120 $1,143 $1,107

92.8 90.5 90.5 92.3 92.5 92.8

2.0 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.5 2.0

48 43 45 46 47 47

53 47 50 50 51 52 3.0

$781 $701 $734 $739 $755 $772

96.3 97.3 95.3 97.5 97.3 97.8

2.8 2.8 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.3

42 43 41 41 45 47

25 22 26 25 26 27 3.2

$371 $320 $380 $366 $380 $403

89.5 89.0 88.5 89.8 89.5 88.3

– – – – – –

38 37 38 39 41 40

58 57 65 58 64 61 57 64 63 61 64 65 64 63 4.1 4.5

$864 $845 $968 $861 $943 $898 $843 $985 $926 $908 $948 $962 $946 $936

99.0 96.0 101.0 94.0 97.8 96.0 97.0 98.8 98.8 98.8 98.8 99.8 97.0 99.0

2.8 3.3 2.0 3.3 3.0 2.3 3.3 2.3 2.0 1.0 2.3 2.0 2.8 3.0

42 43 50 41 45 44 44 49 49 51 44 48 47 46

63 64 68 66 69 67 65 72 67 67 67 66 73 71 5.0 5.5

$936 $951 $1,002 $974 $1,026 $996 $961 $1,097 $984 $994 $992 $974 $1,078 $1,056

90.5 89.3 94.8 90.3 90.8 91.3 90.5 93.5 93.5 95.0 92.8 93.8 91.8 93.0

4.0 4.3 2.8 4.3 4.0 4.5 3.8 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.5 2.3 4.0 3.0

40 39 41 38 41 38 40 44 47 49 43 46 41 44

49 44 49 45 48 45 46 50 49 50 49 47 50 49 8.5 10.3

$723 $649 $728 $669 $711 $671 $687 $766 $720 $738 $726 $702 $737 $728

99.0 97.3 101.0 97.0 96.3 97.8 97.0 99.3 98.3 98.8 100.0 99.5 98.3 98.0

3.8 3.8 3.0 3.8 3.3 3.8 4.0 3.0 3.0 1.8 3.3 2.8 3.3 3.0

39 40 43 39 41 40 42 45 44 45 45 46 43 43

23 25 23 27 27 26 24 27 27 – 26 26 27 26 2.6 7.8

$346 $376 $344 $397 $397 $381 $351 $439 $397 – $387 $382 $397 $378

90.0 90.0 89.8 90.3 89.5 90.0 88.3 89.8 89.3 – 89.3 90.8 90.5 89.0

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

45 38 39 38 38 38 38 37 39 – 38 40 38 39

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross revenue/ ac

Days to maturity

Lodging

Height (In.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross revenue/ ac

Days to maturity

Lodging

Height (In.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross revenue/ac

Days to maturity

Lodging

Height (In.)

45 45 51 6.2

$666 $669 $755

93.5 89.0 97.0

2.0 2.5 3.5

42 39 46

61 48 66 6.2

$899 $707 $970

100.0 98.0 100.0

– – –

42 39 41

63 64 70 12.3

$924 $942 $1,029

108.3 102.0 108.3

4.0 4.8 3.8

50 47 51

48 48 47 2.7

$704 $712 $692

98.3 96.8 99.5

– – –

44 41 46

56 49 53 52 62 58 5.8

$821 $723 $786 $774 $920 $857

92.5 92.0 90.5 93.8 94.0 94.5

1.8 2.0 1.8 2.8 2.3 2.3

40 40 41 43 44 46

57 56 58 66 69 62 8.5

$847 $827 $855 $973 $1,022 $914

99.0 98.0 98.0 99.0 99.0 99.0

– – – – – –

40 38 39 39 43 40

82 66 78 78 81 80 8.5

$1,216 $972 $1,152 $1,147 $1,201 $1,183

104.0 105.0 101.3 105.8 106.3 106.0

1.8 2.8 2.3 3.0 2.8 2.0

50 48 47 47 50 53

49 46 51 49 49 50 1.5

$727 $676 $750 $722 $728 $733

98.0 97.8 95.8 97.8 97.8 97.3

– – – – – –

44 41 45 46 46 47

41 43 49 50 53 50 39 47 48 55 45 47 53 58 5.4 7.5

$608 $631 $729 $745 $790 $736 $584 $723 $717 $813 $671 $694 $780 $857

94.3 90.8 96.0 89.8 93.3 90.5 91.5 94.8 94.3 97.3 94.3 96.3 93.0 95.0

3.5 3.0 2.3 2.8 2.8 2.8 4.0 2.3 2.3 1.8 2.5 2.3 3.3 3.0

35 38 42 36 39 38 37 41 40 41 40 43 40 41

58 51 59 51 53 58 57 73 60 61 62 58 53 52 10.6 9.9

$852 $761 $868 $759 $787 $864 $849 $1,115 $892 $902 $920 $863 $778 $776

100.0 99.0 100.0 98.0 98.0 98.0 98.0 99.0 98.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.0

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

41 40 43 35 42 42 38 41 45 46 37 40 41 38

71 82 69 64 72 72 63 69 65 74 69 82 79 75 8.3 8.5

$1,045 $1,219 $1,016 $944 $1,064 $1,068 $929 $1,048 $967 $1,098 $1,028 $1,207 $1,174 $1,115

107.8 104.5 109.8 103.3 105.5 104.8 103.7 106.5 106.0 109.0 106.5 107.0 104.5 104.0

3.5 4.3 3.3 4.0 5.0 3.3 4.7 3.0 2.8 1.5 4.3 2.0 3.3 5.0

50 46 49 48 47 47 47 49 49 49 46 51 51 47

48 54 48 54 51 51 49 47 50 43 52 49 56 51 3.0 4.4

$716 $797 $715 $799 $751 $752 $730 $736 $740 $634 $768 $724 $829 $758

97.5 96.5 99.0 94.3 98.0 95.5 97.0 97.5 98.0 99.5 97.8 96.8 96.3 98.0

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

43 46 48 44 45 46 46 48 48 47 49 47 47 47

Yield (bu/ac)

Height (In.)

Vulcan, AB

Lodging

Fort Saskatchewan, AB

Days to maturity

Forestburg, AB

Gross revenue/ac

Swift Current, SK

63 53 64

Yorkton, SK

Variety

Scott, SK

Days to maturity

Yield (bu/ac)

Variety

Saskatoon, SK

Gross revenue/ac

North Battelford, SK

*Gross revenue for this Cargill Specialty Canola hybrid includes a premium of $1.13 per bushel for the first 30 bushels. Cargill has the option to purchase growers’ full production with applicable premiums. Yield is rounded to the nearest whole number. Gross revenue is based on non-rounded yield. Gross revenue is yield multiplied by $14.79/bu.

Canola Performance Trials 2012 Results Short Season Zone: Small plot results by location

Lodging

Height (in.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross Revenue/ ac

Days to Maturity

Lodging

Height (in.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross Revenue/ac

Days to Maturity

Lodging

Height (in.)

49 45 56 5.2

$725 $668 $834

93.3 88.8 93.3

3.0 5.0 3.8

45 41 49

62 59 62 4.5

$922 $877 $918

98.5 94.3 102.5

1.8 2.0 2.5

47 48 49

62 59 56 4.5

$920 $877 $835

101.5 98.8 102.8

2.0 3.0 2.8

51 49 49

61 53 55 56 57 56 3.0

$905 $778 $812 $828 $840 $832

93.5 88.8 90.8 93.5 92.5 94.3

1.3 2.8 1.5 2.5 3.3 2.0

48 47 46 46 46 50

64 62 63 70 71 67 4.7

$944 $913 $931 $1,042 $1,054 $991

98.5 97.8 97.3 98.0 97.5 98.0

1.8 1.5 1.3 1.5 2.0 1.3

47 45 47 50 50 49

59 61 60 57 60 58 4.7

$867 $907 $894 $844 $894 $854

101.3 99.0 99.5 101.0 101.0 101.8

1.8 2.0 1.5 2.3 2.0 1.5

53 47 48 49 49 56

51 51 54 51 54 52 50 53 54 54 57 51 41 4.3 5.3

$755 $754 $793 $748 $798 $773 $741 $817 $798 $797 $837 $756 $603

92.0 88.8 96.5 87.0 90.8 89.0 90.3 92.5 94.3 96.3 94.0 92.0 87.0

4.3 4.5 2.5 4.3 4.5 3.3 3.8 3.5 2.5 1.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

44 46 53 41 46 46 45 47 53 50 46 50 47

65 67 58 61 52 58 60 60 61 60 60 61 58 8.7 8.5

$963 $984 $855 $901 $769 $852 $881 $923 $906 $890 $886 $899 $862

101.0 97.3 106.0 96.5 96.3 98.3 97.5 102.3 102.5 103.8 101.3 97.0 94.0

2.3 2.3 1.8 2.8 2.5 1.8 2.5 2.3 1.5 1.0 1.8 2.0 2.0

41 43 47 43 44 45 44 45 46 48 45 44 43

52 50 54 50 56 53 48 53 58 52 53 53 56 8.7 8.5

$774 $746 $799 $739 $823 $791 $703 $823 $863 $768 $789 $778 $827

102.0 100.3 104.5 99.3 100.5 99.5 100.3 103.3 104.0 104.8 103.0 101.0 99.0

2.0 2.8 2.0 2.3 3.0 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.0 1.0 2.5 3.0 3.0

45 42 52 42 46 45 46 51 52 53 47 47 44

Height (in.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross Revenue/ ac

Days to Maturity

Lodging

Height (in.)

Yield (bu/ac)

Gross Revenue/ac

Days to Maturity

Lodging

Height (in.)

46 41 43 21.1

$676 $603 $629

– – –

1.3 1.7 1.0

41 37 44

45 49 48 3.8

$671 $721 $708

100.3 95.7 101.3

– – –

43 39 41

51 56 55 3.2

$753 $827 $810

100.0 98.7 101.0

– – –

43 42 44

49 46 40 47 51 31 10.8

$732 $673 $584 $692 $759 $461

– – – – – –

1.0 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

41 41 40 41 45 46

43 46 41 46 46 43 6.0

$643 $682 $612 $684 $677 $635

98.0 97.0 98.7 99.0 100.3 98.7

– – – – – –

41 43 39 42 41 45

55 55 56 61 59 56 4.0

$809 $818 $821 $903 $870 $824

98.7 98.0 98.0 99.3 99.3 100.0

– – – – – –

43 43 43 44 45 45

61 51 53 44 55 62 53 48 55 55 57 52 49 7.5 11.3

$907 $751 $780 $646 $810 $914 $778 $751 $808 $810 $839 $763 $728

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

2.7 3.3 2.0 3.0 2.3 3.3 3.0 1.3 2.3 1.0 2.3 2.0 3.0

33 21 33 24 32 22 25 37 37 47 32 32 22

48 50 42 51 48 50 44 43 48 39 47 50 48 6.6 11.4

$705 $741 $627 $760 $713 $740 $651 $643 $703 $581 $695 $733 $715

97.0 100.0 101.0 99.0 98.0 98.7 97.3 98.0 100.7 99.7 100.7 101.0 97.0

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

40 38 39 36 39 39 40 39 41 40 38 40 39

55 57 52 58 60 57 51 55 55 53 58 63 56 3.3 4.4

$820 $847 $776 $856 $887 $850 $758 $811 $809 $786 $863 $938 $834

100.7 99.0 101.7 97.7 100.3 100.0 96.7 99.3 99.7 101.0 100.7 100.0 98.0

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

39 40 40 38 39 37 44 42 43 40 40 40 38

Yield (bu/ac)

Lodging

Fort St. John, BC

Days to Maturity

Dawson Creek, BC

Gross Revenue/ac

St. Paul, AB

Variety

Lacombe, AB

Days to Maturity

Yield (bu/ac)

Variety

Barrhead, AB

Gross Revenue/ac

Shellbrook, SK

Canola Performance Trials 2012 Results Field Scale Trial Yield Results Field scale trials are managed by growers using their typical production practices. Trials are planted, swathed, harvested and, when necessary, sprayed by growers using the respective herbicide systems according to established protocols. Individual plots range from 0.5 to 1.5 acres. Results below are given as a percentage of the check, 73-75 RR. Yield in bu./ac. for 73-75 RR for each location is given in brackets at the end of each row.

Mid Season Zone (avg.) Andrew AB Arborg MB Archerwill SK Bassano AB Biggar SK Bradwell SK Calmar 1 AB Calmar 2 AB Camrose AB Canora 1 SK Carseland AB Dauphin MB Davidson SK Foam Lake SK Forestburg AB Ft. Saskatchewan 1 AB Ft. Saskatchewan 2 AB Herschel SK Indian Head SK Kamsack SK Lake Lenore SK Lavoy AB Lumsden SK Macklin SK

73-75 RR (bu./ac.)

74-44 BL

74-47 CR

73-45 RR

6060

1999

1990

1970

100 (42) 100 (41) 100 (43) 100 (23) 100 (68) 100 (55) 100 (50) 100 (42) 100 (42) 100 (48) 100 (50) 100 (41) 100 (35) 100 (36) 100 (43) 100 (37) 100 (27) 100 (50) 100 (37) 100 (51) 100 (51) 100 (34) 100 (46) 100 (33) 100 (51)

L159

99 – – – – – 98 – – – – 96 – – – 106 – – 98 – – – – – –

5440

93 96 89 91 101 – 84 – – 84 105 96 – 85 – 108 – 85 100 101 91 78 – 92 –

L154

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

98 102 – 96 104 – 88 – – 92 101 99 – – – – – – 99 – 100 – – – –

L150

94 100 – 86 92 – 89 – – 85 101 102 – – – – – – 96 – 92 – – – –

Location

L130

94 95 – 83 89 – 87 – – 83 106 96 – – – 98 – – 94 104 97 – – – –

L120

103 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 103 – – – – – – – –

73-75 RR (bu./ac.)

94 94 – 77 88 – 93 – – 85 102 100 – – – 100 97 – 98 95 94 – – – –

74-44 BL

98 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 101 – – 95 – – – – –

74-47 CR

97 – 93 – – 126 – 94 105 – – – 114 94 97 – – 89 – – – 91 83 93 81

73-45 RR

94 – 94 – – 115 – 99 96 – – – 101 85 99 – – 83 – – – 94 81 86 96

73-15 RR

6060

72-65 RR

98 – 98 – – 106 – 104 95 – – – 102 94 99 – – 92 – – – 105 88 96 101

1999

L154

91 103 90 78 91 120 – 94 94 75 105 – 100 77 93 – – 85 – – 95 93 76 86 89

1990

L150

97 87 96 – 96 132 – 93 108 86 108 – 113 90 97 – – 90 – – 95 102 81 89 92

1970

L130

81 – – 81 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

L159

L120

Long Season Zone (avg.) Brandon 1 MB Brandon 2 MB Broadview SK Cranford 1 AB Cranford 2 AB Elie MB Halbstadt MB Hamiota MB Howden MB Kenton MB Killarney MB Lampman SK Langenburg SK Lauder MB Melita MB Oakville MB Portage la Prairie MB Regina SK Rossburn MB Somerset 1 MB Somerset 2 MB St. Adolphe MB Stonewall MB Swift Current SK

5440

Location

73-15 RR

Variety

72-65 RR

Yield Results (% of check, 73-75 RR)

91 106 100 99 99 107 100 101 102 99 101 108 103 106 101 100 (41) – – – – – 83 – – – 77 – – – – – – – – – – – – – 95

– – – – – – – 101 112 – 126 112 103 84 104 – 101 – 113 – 124 93 105 –

– – – – – 89 – 98 103 75 106 108 100 69 104 – 94 – 106 – 127 92 103 104

– – – – – – – 96 – – 102 112 – 87 100 – 90 – 95 – 120 92 96 –

– – – 95 – 96 104 – 102 – – – 81 – 73 91 – 88 – – – 105 – – – – – – – – 101 103 – – 106 – – – 97 101 – – – – – – – – 97 – 98 101 – 109 – – 97 97 93 – – – – 95 101 – – – – – – – – – – – – 94 101 – 96 – – – 93 – 83 111 127 115 115 125 – – – – – – – 98 100 – – – – – – – – 106 – – – – – – – 70 86 – – – – – – – 97 103 – – – – – – – – – – 107 105 – – – – 93 103 – – – – – – 104 – – 104 92 101 – – – – 100 114 – – – – – – – – – 103 115 106 92 – – 94 120 122 – – – – – – – 89 104 – – – – – – – 96 104 – – – – – – – – – – – – 99 100 99 100 Yield Results (% of check, 73-75 RR)

Yield Results (% of check, 73-75 RR)

102 87 – – – 104 81 – 93 133 – 106 – – – – – – – – – – – 104

96 90 – – – – – – 101 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

100 (46) 100 (59) 100 (44) 100 (30) 100 (40) 100 (37) 100 (42) 100 (50) 100 (41) 100 (19) 100 (50) 100 (40) 100 (38) 100 (27) 100 (48) 100 (45) 100 (53) 100 (41) 100 (39) 100 (39) 100 (32) 100 (52) 100 (48) 100 (37)

Variety

73-75 RR (bu./ac.)

74-47 CR

74-44 BL

73-45 RR

73-15 RR

72-65 RR

6060

1999

1990

1970

5440

L159

L154

L150

L130

– 114 116 99 108 119 –

–

– 100 (19)

Blackfalds AB

–

96 93 94 88 101 –

–

– 100 (46)

Carrot River SK

–

97 98 97 102 95

–

– 100 (37)

Girouxville AB

–

98 103 101 101 100 (56)

High Prairie 1 AB

–

99 102 97

94 100 (66)

High Prairie 2 AB

– 107 103 96 99 104 –

–

– 100 (58)

La Crete AB

–

84 93 112 106 100 (27)

Rolla BC

–

93 95 93 89

– 104 104 –

–

Sexsmith 2 AB

– 115 116 112 109 99

–

Valleyview AB

–

– 107 – 100 –

Wanham AB

–

– 102 –

Westlock 1 AB

–

– 103 97 99 97 103 – 100 (52)

Westlock 2 AB

–

99 94 88 97 100 –

–

1999

6060

72-65 RR

73-15 RR

73-45 RR

96 94 96 97 101 100 100 (46)

1990

Overall Average

–

– 100 (40)

99 100 99

– 100 (45)

–

– 100 (53)

98 104 98

– 100 (47)

96 91 99 100 102 – 100 (52) 100 – 100 (58) 73-75 RR (bu./ac.)

–

74-47 CR

Sexsmith 1 AB

–

74-44 BL

Baytree AB

102

1970

100 (50) 100 (39) 100 (38) 100 (42) 100 (48) 100 (37) 100 (51) 100 (41) 100 (45) 100 (43) 100 (32) 100 (54) 100 (31) 100 (42) 100 (41) 100 (44) 100 (47) 100 (45) 100 (37)

5440

103 – 102 – 108 107 – – – 100 94 106 – – 103 103 94 – –

L159

107 – 110 125 106 107 – – 99 106 117 98 112 – 109 114 113 105 –

L154

99 102 107 – 105 – – – 101 101 105 105 117 – 96 100 103 105 –

L150

– – – – – 100 – – – 105 102 – – – – – 106 – 108 106 – 128 – – – – – – – – 109 – – 102 104 – – 105 – 109 104 – 109 – – – – – – 106 – – – – – – – – 81 – 87 92 – – – 102 – 99 100 – – – 100 – 102 107 – – – 105 – 112 102 107 – – 126 – 121 95 93 101 – – – – – – – – – – – 99 104 – – 104 – 105 101 125 – – – – – – 106 – – 100 – 99 99 – 97 – – – – – – Yield Results (% of check, 73-75 RR) Variety

Short Season Zone 92 105 100 98 101 103 (avg.)

L130

– – – 125 – – 105 75 – – – – – 101 – – – – –

L120

73-75 RR (bu./ac.)

74-47 CR

74-44 BL

73-45 RR

73-15 RR

72-65 RR

6060

1999

1990

1970

5440

99 107 100 101 102 99 101 108 103 106 101 100 (41)

Location

L120

Mid Season Zone 91 106 100 99 (avg.) Mannville AB – 104 106 – Margo SK – – – – Marshall SK – – – – Millet AB – 130 124 115 Nisku AB – – – – North Battleford SK – – – – Paradise Valley AB – 111 104 99 Quill Lake SK – 100 92 83 Rosetown SK – 76 82 – Rosthern SK – – – – Strasbourg SK – – – – Strathmore AB – – – – Swan River MB 101 – 69 – Unity SK – 112 116 96 Vegreville AB 103 – 116 – Vermilion AB – – – – Vulcan 1 AB – 111 107 – Vulcan 2 AB 88 – 93 – Watrous SK – 102 106 101

L159

L154

L150

L130

Location

L120

When comparing average results between varieties, consider the number of test sites for each variety. Field scale trials occasionally produce data that is above or below the expected range. If agronomic observations cannot explain these “outliers,” then they are checked against the statistical limits of deviation established by the Canola Performance Trial technical committee. If the data falls outside the limits, it is removed. For more details on individual trials and for data from sites that reported after this booklet went to print, visit www.canolaperformancetrials.ca.

100 90 103 97 98 97 103 99 99 102 97 98 102 100 101 100 (42)

THE

CANOLA

PROFITABILITY CHALLENGE Put it in terms your accountant can appreciate: Use Clearfield® and see how your profits may increase by

PER ACRE

Find out how yours add up at clearfield.ca/canola

We’re not asking you to switch everything. But you do owe it to yourself to use the Clearfield Production System on some of your canola acres. In fact, we challenge you to compare it to your current system side-by-side. Because Clearfield may outperform what you’re using now in terms of profitability – by $25 more per acre according to field trials. With that in mind, this may not be much of a challenge for us at all.

The Profitability Calculator is a tool that automates calculations of values and is precise only to the extent of accuracy of all inputted values. Yield data is based on mid and long season testing only. Values shown are an example only. Values of inputs such as the costs of seed and crop protection products (including application rates and frequency) will vary over time, location and crop conditions. This tool may be unable to reflect the details of every user’s experience and in such cases the resulting calculation may be invalid as a comparison of profitability for any particular individual.

Always read and follow label directions. Clearfield, and the unique Clearfield symbol are registered trade-marks of BASF Agrochemical Products B.V.; all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. © 2012 BASF Canada Inc.

Moose Jaw facility indicative of maturing pulse industry By Karen Briere Western Producer staff

he bins are in place and the footings are poured for the first major new pulse processing build in Saskatchewan in years. But Agrocorp International’s plans to open a 250,000-tonne high throughput plant in Moose Jaw this fall have been pushed to early next year. “We’re faced with the realities of construction in Saskatchewan,” said plant manager Colin Young. Moose Jaw’s light industrial area is perfect for the operation that Agrocorp plans to construct, Young said. The building site was once home to the inland container port, MCS AgriTerminals, and then Mobil Grain, the modular grain terminal now located on Last Mountain Railway. Agrocorp has invested in track upgrades and has two tracks available to move 50-car trains once processing begins. Young expects to move one train per week. Right now, Young and other staff are operating in a temporary facility. They have been buying and selling commodities and using toll processors since the plant was announced earlier this year. Chickpeas, lentils and eventually feed grains will all move through the facility. “Cereals, it appears, everybody is approaching with caution,” Young said. Young comes to Agrocorp from Canada’s largest chickpea exporter, R Young Seeds Inc. at Mortlach, Sask., a family business that burned to the ground in May 2011. He said chickpeas will be a focus at Agrocorp. While specialty crops such as chickpeas and lentils are usually shipped in containers to specialized markets, Agrocorp envisions a different customer. Young said there has been a shift in markets where “little windows of opportunity” open and companies have to maximize the volume they can ship into each window. Agrocorp will be able to serve such markets through its high-speed cleaning capacity of 100 tonnes of lentils per hour, compared to the traditional 10 to 15 tonnes. Peas will be cleaned at twice the normal rate.

Colin Young, manager of Agrocorp International’s Moose Jaw, Sask., pulse processing facility, stands in front of the company’s bins. The plant should open in early 2013. | WP PHOTO BY KAREN BRIERE

“We’re focusing on making each hour of processing and facility time more productive,” said Young. This will be done with about 10 core employees. Although the pulse business is competitive, Agrocorp will collaborate with other processors within 160 kilometres of the plant, Young said. “We have a large rail siding available and those are at a premium,” he said, suggesting railways will once again be the transportation mode of choice for the industry. Truck freight has become too expensive and shortline railways are anxious to move farmers’ products, he said. Margins are narrow and no one can afford to move grain too far. Young believes that the pulse industry has evolved. At one time, pulses were the only crops in rotation that were profitable, but total acreage was small and farmers grew the crops to fit the market. Now, farms of 10,000 acres are more common and processors who used to buy 5,000 bushels at a time can now buy 100,000 bushels from a single source. “Processing started as a cottage industry of farm-based processors but now

the small has to become big,” he said. “We’ve spent the last five years, arguably, consolidating the pulse industry into larger volume players. They’re all good companies.” At the same time, political instability is disrupting markets and creating more export risk, he added. Farmers now have some cash on hand, more on-farm storage and the ability to wait out some of these issues, Young said. Processors will have to do the same as they accommodate farmers’ needs. Young said transparency to producer customers will be key for the new operation. Growers can expect timely delivery opportunities, competitive prices and prompt payment. “I want growers to be 100 percent comfortable,” he said. Agrocorp, which is based in Singapore and has a Vancouver office, has partnered with McDougall Acres of Moose Jaw in this venture. The family operation located just outside the city since 1917 has been in the pulse business since the late 1980s and the pedigreed seed business since the late 1990s. It began cleaning and colour sorting about 10 years ago. ❖

25 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

Canola greenseed problems take bite out of bottom line Busy growers are often eager to get the harvest started early, even if it means cutting some canola acres a few days early. But swathing too soon can have costly consequences. By Dan Yates Western Producer staff

anola producers are accustomed to seeing greenseed in their samples, but there are steps that can be taken to reduce greenseed counts and ensure that their crop makes the top grade, say agronomists. Angela Brackenreed, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada in Manitoba, said most canola samples with higher green seed counts are the result of early swathing. Cutting a crop prematurely in hot, dry weather can prevent chlorophyll from clearing the seed. High chlorophyll prevents colour change and can result in downgrading at the end of the season. The council recommends swathing between 30 to 60 percent colour change. While not a new message, it can be overlooked during a busy harvest season, she said. “It’s just something that unfortunately happens all across the Prairies every year,” said Brackenreed. “It has a lot to do with increase in acres and just people get in a rush and there’s so much to do at once.” The Canadian Grain Commission’s harvest sample program shows 88 percent of the 2012 canola crop in Manitoba and Alberta receiving No. 1 grades, containing less than two percent green seed. “There’s nothing out of the ordinary. I would say it was a very typical average year as far as distinctly green, which is a good thing,” said Daryl Beswitherick, CGC program manager of quality assurance standards and reinspection. Saskatchewan lagged behind at 79 percent No. 1. Those numbers didn’t surprise CCC agronomist Tiffany Martinka. Disease pressure from sclerotinia may

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

Cutting a canola crop too soon, especially in hot, dry weather, can result in elevated greenseed counts and lower returns. Sclerotinia can make swathing decisions more difficult. | FILE PHOTO

have influenced producers’ swathing decisions, she said. The presence of the fungus can prematurely ripen the crop. “Some people may have mistaken that for just their crop maturing, so they went and swathed too early,” she said. “Or they were worried about saving that seed, which isn’t necessarily the route they should’ve taken. They should’ve focused on where the yield was and trying to save the seed from the sclerotinia plants.” Martinka, based in Saskatchewan, said producers should plan on a fungicide application in 2013.

In Alberta, the provincial agriculture department estimated that nearly 20 percent of the province’s 2012 crop would be downgraded, primarily due to greenseed. Brackenreed said growers should work with their seed rep, keeping an close eyes on varieties and their days to maturity. “If you pick varieties that vary a little bit plus or minus in their days to maturity, then at least you’re not having 10 fields all coming in at once,” she said. “It reduces the odds of that happening at least.” ❖

Staying ahead of frost

All the details, all the time. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012

VOL. 90 | NO. 40 | $3.75

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PICKER FILLS FIRE-HALL

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MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK

A convoy of combines works as the sun sets at Hanmer Farms in a field east of Nokomis, Sask., Sept. 13. SEE THE REST OF OUR HARVEST PHOTO FEATURE STARTING ON PAGE 24. |

CFIA recalls 400 products | E. coli from Alberta plant found in beef products across Canada, U.S. BY BARBARA DUCKWORTH CALGARY BUREAU

Uncertainty is overshadowing beef markets with the temporary closure of one of Canada’s major meat processing plants. A backlog of cattle awaited slaughter and markets turned bearish after the Canadian Food Inspection

Agency pulled XL Foods’ licence and closed the plant Sept. 27 following the discovery of E. coli O157:H7 in various products. The list of recalled products numbers around 400 and affects retail outlets in Canada and the United States. The list includes prepared burgers, meat loaf, fresh ground beef and most recently, whole muscle cuts.

Alberta premier Alison Redford and agriculture minister Verlyn Olson said Sept. 30 they are talking with the CFIA to see when the plant might reopen. “Our priority is to do everything we possibly can to assure that we are working with CFIA and minister (Gerry) Ritz and with XL Foods to reopen that plant as soon as possible,” Redford said at a news confer-

ence in Calgary. “ We a re p re s s i n g e v e r y b o d y involved to make it the top priority so XL can comply with regulations so we can get the plant back working and get all those employees back to work and give producers a place to deliver their product,” she said. SEE XL CLOSURE, PAGE 2

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There aren’t a lot of ways to avoid frost damage on immature canola stands. Seed moisture is a critical factor. | FILE PHOTO

A frost of -2 C can damage immature canola stands, preventing colour change. The enzymes responsible for removing chlorophyll are active at temperatures above 5 C in plants with seed moisture content over 20 percent. If a producer’s field is immature, avoiding the effects of a frost can be difficult. Seeds must be below 20 percent moisture to avoid the effects of a frost, which will freeze the moisture content. “A lot of people think: ‘OK if there’s a frost in the forecast, I can avoid the damage from by swathing’,” said Angela Brackenreed, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada. “But you really can’t. The only way that would work (is) if you were to swath about 72 hours before the frost event. “And the only reason I say that is because it would give the canola a chance to get below 20 percent moisture content in the swath. Who really can predict 72 hours before a frost, right?” According to Brackenreed, immature crops are prone to frost damage, regardless of whether they are swathed or standing. “There isn’t a lot of viable options to avoid the affects of a frost, whether it’s standing or in a swath if it’s immature,” she said. “If the moisture content has gotten below 20 percent, then unfortunately either way, standing or in a swath, you’re going to see that damage happen.”

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OCTOBER 4, 2012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4 The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240; Registration No. 10676

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27 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

Herbicide-tolerant chickpeas should help boost acres, says breeder Growing chickpeas will get easier and less expensive with the development of IMI tolerant lines and new varieties that require fewer fungicide applications. By Sean Pratt Western Producer staff

unyamin Tar’an anticipates a resurgence in chickpea acres as new varieties continue to hit the market, including herbicide-tolerant desis and kabulis. “I’m fairly optimistic that now with the program maturing and more stuff coming that will bring chickpeas back as an alternative diversification (crop) for farmers,” said the breeder at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre (CDC). Tar’an is confident soon-to-be commercialized varieties tolerant to imidazolinone herbicides will help to restore the crop to its former glory. In addition, earlier maturing lines that require fewer fungicide applications are already on the market and are likely to result in more acres planted. Saskatchewan chickpeas peaked at 1.1 million acres in 2001-02 and then crashed hard due to a combination of poor prices and extreme disease pressure from ascochyta blight. By 2003-04, growers had reduced plantings to 130,000 acres. It has remained around that level with the exception of a temporary blip in 2006-07 and 2007-08 when it shot up as high as 380,000 acres. Last year’s plantings were 150,000 acres. Tar’an believes in 10 years there will be 600,000 to 800,000 acres of chickpeas planted in southern Saskatchewan, where the crop thrives under the hot and dry conditions. The CDC is conducting field trials to collect enough data to get Pest Management Regulatory Agency approval to put chickpeas on the labels of imidazolinone herbicides. Tar’an hopes growers will be have access to IMI tolerant lines of desi and kabuli chickpeas in a couple of years. In the meantime, there are a number of varieties on the market that require far fewer fungicide applications than traditional lines, greatly reducing the cost of growing the crop.

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

Chickpea breeder Bunyamin Tar’an at University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre is confident that new chickpea varieties will help to re-establish the crop on the Prairies. A decade ago, Saskatchewan chickpea acreage topped out at 1.1 million acres. In the fall of 2012, Saskatchewan growers harvested around 150,000 acres. | FILE PHOTO

“Now (growers) only have to spray twice. They don’t need to spray four or five times like they used to,” said Tar’an. The kabuli types requiring fewer applications are CDC Frontier, CDC Leader and CDC Orion. The desi types are CDC

Cory and CDC Corinne. Growers might have a tough time getting their hands on the desi types. “In the last couple of years, I’ve received a few calls from growers looking for desis. The problem is that there is no

select growers producing the desis.” Tar’an said that’s due to the perception that growing kabulis is more lucrative than desis. Chuck Penner, pulse market analyst with LeftField Commodity Research, said the global market for desi types is larger than kabulis. According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, world chickpea production is about 85 percent desi and 15 percent kabuli. In Canada, the acreage breakdown is the polar opposite. Penner said that’s because growers can get higher prices for growing kabuli chickpeas. The Indian subcontinent, while a huge market, is pretty much the only game in town for desis. By contrast, there are a large number of countries vying for kabuli types. And there is a growing market for kabuli chickpeas in North America, where dishes like hummus have become popular. The USDA says U.S. hummus consumption increased 35 percent from 2008 to 2010. “Now you can see hummus in almost every store, whereas five or 10 years ago people didn’t have a clue what it was,” said Penner. Despite growing North American demand for chickpeas, Penner isn’t as optimistic as Tar’an about the crop’s future due to stiff kabuli export competition from places like Mexico, India, Argentina and Russia. “It’s a more crowded marketplace (than desis) and there is less room for expanded production on the kabuli side.” He thinks Canadian chickpea plantings will continue to hover in the 150,000 to 250,000 acre range, depending on market conditions because it’s not a crop that can be widely grown across the prairie region. “We’re not going to try and blow our brains out again because of what happened when we grew a million acres. The market absolutely crashed,” said Penner. But Tar’an thinks it’s time for growers in southern Saskatchewan to revisit the crop and grow a few hundred acres of some of the new and improved varieties. “Just have a feeling of it. I would really encourage the farmers to do that,” he said. “We have some good varieties, so why not give it a try?” He also wants seed growers to embrace some of the new desi types. Tar’an believes Canadian dehulled desis can compete with Australian

Canadian supply & demand: chickpeas (in 000 tonnes) Seeded area (000 acres) Harvested area (000 acres) Yields (bu./acre) Production Imports Total supply Exports Total domestic use Ending stocks Average price ($/tonne) * forecast

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13*

79.0 74.1 37.0 76.0 6.0 143.0 66.0 58.0 20.0 $540

205.0 190.2 24.8 128.0 9.0 158.0 86.0 50.0 22.0 $655

126.0 123.5 27.2 91.0 9.0 122.0 37.0 73.0 12.0 $830

163.0 155.6 24.5 105.0 8.0 125.0 50.0 55.0 20.0 $700 - $730

Source: Statistics Canada | WP GRAPHIC

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 85 percent of the chickpeas grown worldwide are desi types and 15 percent are kabuli. In Saskatchewan, kabulis are more common. | FILE PHOTO

product into the Indian subcontinent because rough estimates show Canada’s better yields and top quality will offset its higher transportation costs. “I think we should be able to compete with them. So I really challenge the growers,” he said. Tar’an is also excited about his new lines of green cotyledon desi and kabuli chickpeas. There is a growing market in North America to use green chickpeas in dishes like salads and falafels. The only way to get green chickpeas

today is by harvesting immature seeds, which means growers have to deal with a very narrow harvest window. Tar’an’s new lines of green cotyledon chickpeas open that window. His breeding program also continues to focus on agronomic traits of interest to growers. “We keep working on minimizing the risk in growing chickpeas by having early maturing crops and better ascochyta resistance while improving the yield and seed quality,” said Tar’an. ❖

29 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

Manitoba soybean acreage shows no signs of slowing Impressive yields and new varieties with improved adaptability are pushing the crop into new areas. By Robert Arnason Western Producer staff

Canadian supply & demand: soybeans

ver the past four years, soybean acreage on Rob Brunel’s farm has expanded exponentially. Starting with 160 acres of beans in 2009, Brunel, who farms near Ste. Rose du Lac, Man., grew 320 acres in 2010, 800 in 2011 and 1,600 acres of soybeans this summer. Brunel, though, doesn’t plan to double his acres in 2013. His farm, located 300 kilometres northwest of the Red River Valley — the primary soybean region in the province — has slightly more than 5,000 acres of cropland. So 3,200 acres of beans isn’t an option. “Next year we’ll be around this 2,000,” he said. The plan moving forward? Dedicate a third of his acres to soybeans, a third to canola and a third to cereals. In 2010, only seven farmers in the rural municipality of Ste. Rose grew soybeans, according to Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) data. By next spring, however, soybeans will be the rule in the Ste. Rose area, rather than the exception, Brunel said. “Almost everyone around (our farm) will be growing beans, to some extent.” Across Manitoba soybean acres have nearly tripled over the last five growing seasons, going from 300,000 acres in 2008 to 850,000 in 2012. More than 2,600 Manitoba producers grew soybeans in 2011 — a jump of 1,000 farmers from 2008, based on MASC statistics. Industry observers are predicting one million acres of soybeans in Manitoba in 2013, a significant achievement for what was a niche crop just a decade ago. Growers like Brunel have jumped on the bean bandwagon for several reasons, including strong prices, the nitrogen fixing properties of soybeans and the novelty of trying a new crop. A large chunk of that expansion has occurred in the Interlake, southwestern Manitoba and the Parkland region, which is why the Manitoba Pulse Grow-

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

(in million tonnes) Seeded area (million acres) Harvested area (million acres) Yields (bu./acre) Production Imports Total supply Exports Total domestic use Ending stocks Average price ($/tonne) * forecast

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13*

3.66 3.65 46.86 4.35 0.27 4.92 2.75 1.88 0.28 $447

3.83 3.81 43.83 4.25 0.22 4.75 2.80 1.73 0.22 $478

4.29 4.25 39.69 4.28 0.20 4.70 2.90 1.67 0.13 $550 - $590

Source: Statistics Canada | WP GRAPHIC

ers Association wants to add directors from areas other than the Red River Valley, said Michael Reimer, interim executive director of the association. New, early-maturing varieties have enabled the spread of soybeans westward and northward from Winnipeg. However, some growers may wonder if beans can succeed in dry years, particularly in areas like southwestern Manitoba that can have exceptionally dry summers. Scott Chalmers, of the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization (WADO), an ag research group in Melita, Man., said his organization has done trials on irrigated beans versus dryland beans. Those trials found about a 10 bushel per acre difference. This year was exceptionally hot and dry in Manitoba, as Winnipeg recorded 14 days in July over 30 C and many areas of the province suffered through minimal rainfall. Yet soybeans, across the province, yielded more than expected. Producers in the Red River Valley reported yields in the 40s. Brunel said it was his best year for beans. His average yield was in the 40s. Growers in southwest Manitoba also harvested crops above the provincial average of 30 bu. per acre, said Chalmers, a diversification technician with

Manitoba Agriculture. “I haven’t heard anything below 30 this year, on this side of the province,” he noted. Like other crops, soybeans adapt to dry conditions during the growing season by maturing more quickly. In other words, a dry summer provides insurance against an early September frost. “Regardless of what the heat units might be… (the plants) seem to finish on time because we run out of moisture,” Chalmers said. “It seems like in the last few years we’ve had a very dry fall and that’s helped us get them finished up quickly.” In addition to improved genetics, soybeans have adapted readily to new areas like Ste. Rose and southwestern Manitoba because crop development is highly sensitive to daylight. Chalmers has done experiments in southwestern Manitoba showing that beans will flower around the same time, regardless of planting date. “Say you have a middle of May seeding date, a late May seeding date and a first or second week of June planting date…. They all seem to flower within three days of each other.” The difference is that the early seeded crop will have more leaves at flowering – an indicator of higher yield potential. ❖

Across the prairies, DEKALB® brand 74-44 BL wins 71% of trials* versus InVigor® L Series.

74-44 BL CONSISTENTLY OUT PERFORMS

7 1% 2012 TRIAL WIN RATE

2012 YIELD COMPARISONS (BU/A)* L Series 74-44 BL

40.6 43.2

N = 55

2 YEAR YIELD COMPARISONS (BU/A)** L Series 74-44 BL

42.8

Even under the severe weather conditions of 2012, 74-44 BL consistently out yielded competitors. While no one wins them all, in FACT™ trials conducted by farmer co-operators, DEKALB won its fair share. Consistent yield performance under adverse conditions, that’s the complete package.

44.9

N = 67

www.DEKALB.ca *Source: 2012 Monsanto Field Scale Trials as of October 3, 2012. **2011-2012 Monsanto Field Scale Trials. DEKALB represented by 74-44 BL; InVigor by L150, L130 and L120. Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible. Always follow grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Details of these requirements can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. DEKALB® and Design and DEKALB® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee. InVigor® is a registered trademark of Bayer. ©2012 Monsanto Company.

Rebound in flax acres slowed by Mother Nature Prairie growers are awaiting the development of new flax varieties that are better adapted to northern parts of the prairie grain growing area. By Darlene Polachic Freelance writer

Canadian supply & demand: flax

anadian farmers increased flax production in 2012, but overall production is still almost half of what it was just a few years ago. According to Stats Canada, Canadian farmers produced 518,200 tonnes of flax in 2012 on just under one million seeded acres. This represents an significant increase over the previous year’s production, but it is still well below the million tonnes harvested in 2005. The flax industry experienced a downturn in recent years for two reasons, said Linda Braun, executive director of Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission. “The first reason is simply nature being unco-operative,” she said. “The bulk of Saskatchewan flax is traditionally grown in the southeast corner of the province, but for two years running there was an excess of moisture. Many acres were never even seeded.” The second reason was market damage caused by the discovery of Triffid in exports to Europe in 2009. “Triffid was a genetically modified flax seed variety bred in Saskatchewan in the 1990s with a tolerance to soil residues of a particular line of herbicides. “Triffid was never commercialized, and it was de-registered in 2001, but traces were found in flax being shipped to Europe,” Braun explained. “We assume it turned up in some breeder seed. Europe, a major flax market, has a zero tolerance policy on genetically modified flax, so this hurt us.” Beginning in 2009 and 2010, Canadian flax producers were encouraged to test their flax seed for Triffid. “The process has worked fairly well and each quarter, we have seen a further reduction of the presence of Triffid.” Helen Booker, a flax breeder with the Crop Development Centre, is also working to eradicate the problem by developing reconstituted flax seed. According to Will Hill, president of the

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

(in 000 tonnes) Seeded area (000 acres) Harvested area (000 acres) Yields (bu./acre) Production Imports Total supply Exports Total domestic use Ending stocks Average price ($/tonne) * forecast

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13*

923.8 871.9 19.1 423.0 8.0 720.0 404.0 123.0 194.0 $530

694.1 674.3 21.5 368.0 9.0 571.0 391.0 40.0 141.0 $525

1,005.3 975.7 20.9 518.0 5.0 664.0 525.0 39.0 100.0 $520 - $560

Source: Statistics Canada | WP GRAPHIC

Flax Council of Canada, only two percent of flax seed samples are showing traces of Triffid, compared to 10 percent when testing began on the 2009-10 crop. “We’re very close to the 0.01 percent detection level required by the European Union,” he said. Another encouraging sign is the upswing of global interest in Canadian flax. Braun recently participated in a trade mission to China with the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, and discovered a great deal more interest in Canadian flax than anticipated. “China is moving higher on flax imports than we were aware,” she said. “In fact, from August 2011 to May 2012, China accounted for 42 percent of our flax exports.” Belgium, formerly a major market, was down to 18 percent, while the United States remained steady at 50 percent. “In China, the interest is both in flax meal, which is mainly utilized for the poultry market, and flax seed,” Braun said. “They’re looking at the Omega 3 content and flax’s role in a healthy lifestyle. In Shanghai, we also saw interest in flaxrelated retail products like toasted flax and flax snacks. We talked with over twenty companies in China, and all expressed an interest in Canadian flax.” Shane Stokke, a special crops processor and producer from Watrous, Sask., sees

strength and potential in the flax industry. “This is a crop where the whole plant can be utilized. There’s a lot of interest not just in the whole seed, but in ground seed, the oil, and now even the straw,” he said. “There’s enough research and development being done that a flax straw end product is very close.” Stokke said his 2012 season flax yields were very good, as was the quality of the harvested seed. “With prices around $14.00 and $14.25, I can’t see the acreage going down next year.” Also impacting Canadian markets is the fact that the world’s other two major producers of flax, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, experienced drought conditions in 2012. “The industry is on the upswing again,” Stokke said. “We’re working our way through the Triffid thing, and new markets are opening up. It may take a few years, but I believe production will return to what it was before, and Canada will become the world’s leading flax producer again.” Braun said the development of a Northern adaptive flax variety will boost prairie acreage. “This means flax can be seeded in a wider agricultural area,” she said. “That’s good for growers and good for clients, because it ensures a more stable product supply.” ❖

Triffid becoming less common By Phil Franz Warkentin Commodity News Service Canada

anada’s flaxseed industry continues to make progress eliminating traces of genetically modified Triffid seed from the country’s crop, but with Europe’s tight allowances for the gene, there’s still work to be done. Triffid, a genetically modified flaxseed variety, was bred in Saskatchewan in the 1990s for tolerance to soil residues of sulfonylurea herbicides. It was deregistered in 2001 and never commercialized. Traces, however, found in Canadian shipments to Europe in 2009 effectively shut the door to what had been the largest market for Canadian exports. In the aftermath of the original discovery, testing protocols were put in place in an effort to eliminate Triffid from Canada’s flaxseed crop and reopen export markets. Currently, about two percent of all samples are showing traces of Triffid, compared with 10 percent when testing first began with the 2009-10 crop, said

Will Hill, president of the Flax Council of Canada. Of those samples testing positive now, the intensity of contamination is also much smaller than in 2009. The overall amount of Triffid in the positive tests is close to the 0.01 percent detection level called for by the European Union, but in order to reopen that food market, the percentage of samples testing positive for Triffid will need to decline further or changes to the protocol itself will need to be made, said Hill. If that allowance was 0.1 percent, he said there wouldn’t be any samples testing positive. “We’re making progress, but the question is can we make enough progress for shipping to go back to the way it was before Triffid?” said Hill. At 0.01 percent, it’s very hard to get consistent results. Multiple tests of the same sample sometimes have different results. Efforts between Canada and the European Union are still underway in an attempt to establish a more tradefriendly testing routine, he said.

Allowances closer to 0.1 percent would also make it easier for Canada to consistently ship to the EU without fear of an unexpected positive result. In the meantime, Canada is sending more flaxseed to the U.S. and China, said Hill. In 2011-12, Canada exported a total of 256,800 tonnes of flaxseed, with less than seven percent of that destined for Europe, according to Canadian Grain Commission data. In 2008-09, the last full crop year before the Triffid issue came to the forefront, Canada exported 530,200 tonnes of flaxseed, with European business accounting for about 80 percent of the total. Spot bids for flaxseed in Western Canada can currently be found in the $14 to $14.24 per bushel area, which compares with canola bids that are a little softer, according to the latest Prairie Ag Hotwire data. As long as flaxseed bids are in line with canola, Hill said, the crop should be seen as a good option for farmers seeking to plant an alternative oilseed. ❖

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33 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

Can prairie pea acreage continue its comeback? Pea acres rebounded in Saskatchewan in 2012 but will markets be strong enough in 2013 to maintain growers’ interest? By Shirley Byers Freelance writer

Pea acres in Saskatchewan totalled 2.2 million acres in 2012, up from 1.55 million the previous year. | FILE PHOTO

re peas still the ugly cousin among pulse crops? Pea producer and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers director Vicki Dutton doesn’t think so. “I hear a lot of people concerned with dropping pea acres and I keep saying to them: if not peas, what else?” Dutton said from her farm near Paynton, Sask. “For us, we grow them more for the rotation than for profitability, but for the last few years they’ve been profitable, which really helps too.” Peas are grown across much of western Canada but Saskatchewan is easily the country’s top producer. Terry Bedard, a statistician with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said more than 2.2 million acres of peas were planted in the province in 2012, up from 1.55 million in 2011. Statistics Canada estimated Canada’s total 2012 pea acreage at almost 3.25 million acres this year, up sharply from 2011, when less than 2.5 million acres were planted. By comparison, Canadian lentil acres totalled nearly 2.3 million in 2012.

CANOLA CANOLA&&Pulse Pulse2012 2012

34 34

In Saskatchewan, the largest producer of both crops, lentil acreage has exceeded pea acreage for the last three years. “Peas used to be half a million and, in some cases, a million acres ahead,” Bedard said. Heading into the 2012 planting season, demand for red lentils was down a bit and prices weren’t great. That may have

caused some growers to shy away from lentil production and lean toward peas, said Dale Risula, a provincial crop specialist for pulse crops. A wet spring got many pulse crops, including peas, off to a slow start this year. “There were reports of crops showing a lot of yellowing and farmers were quite concerned about that,” said Risula.

Canadian supply & demand: dry peas (in 000 tonnes) Seeded area (000 acres) Harvested area (000 acres) Yields (bu./acre) Production Imports Total supply Exports Total domestic use Ending stocks Average price ($/tonne) * forecast Source: Statistics Canada | WP GRAPHIC

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13*

3,759.3 3,672.9 33.8 3,379.0 55.0 3,879.0 2,178.0 802.0 900.0 $185

3,623.5 3,430.8 32.3 3,018.0 33.0 3,951.0 3,012.0 404.0 535.0 $250

2,472.5 2,445.3 37.6 2,501.0 12.0 3,048.0 2,096.0 676.0 276.0 $310

3,248.1 3,151.7 32.0 2,743.0 20.0 3,039.0 2,300.0 539.0 200.0 $300 - $330

CDC Dakota: a new dun pea for the prairies?

New production in Russia and Ukraine could have an impact on global pea markets. | FILE PHOTO

“Most of the plants survived the flooding or saturated soils. When it got drier, and there were higher temperatures, they started to grow rapidly and were growing quite nicely, but I think it was mostly vegetative rather than productive growth.” Reports of sclerotinia and botrytis came in near the end of June, but drier, hotter and slightly windier weather eased the disease issue. Aphids were also in the picture, but they arrived late and damage was mostly minimal, although they may have had some impact on yields. “This year, we lost yield to excess moisture pressure, but this did not only affect the peas. However, peas’ reaction in excess moisture is likely more frustrating, as it impacts standability,” said Dutton. “And so what we learned (again) this year … a good header is worth its weight in gold when picking up peas that are flat on the ground.” In fall 2012, strong demand is keeping pea prices favourable, although Russia and Ukraine entering the market may have had some short-term effect on Canadian pea and lentil sales, said Risula. “I think our product will still start to move fairly soon. There may be some market meddling with the governments of those particular countries that may restrict movement of grains out of Russia and Ukraine. I think they had shortfalls too, so they will want to maintain certain amounts for domestic use.” In any year, whether lentils or peas reign supreme may come down to shrewd shopping. “People in Southern Asia are the biggest consumers of Canadian pulses, and the thing that influences them is price and also quality,” said Risula. “If they don’t get a favourable combination of those two, then they’re known to substitute one pulse for another.” ❖

While pea performance in Saskatchewan was largely poor in 2012, Vicki Dutton says she saw nice yields from a new variety in the dun market class. Dutton, director of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, grew the variety, CDC Dakota, on her farm near Paynton, Sask. In Australia, most of the pea production is of the dun market class, says Tom Warkentin, a pulse breeder at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre. Dun peas have pigmented flowers and seed coats. Underneath the seed coat, or hull, dun peas can be yellow or green. CDC Dakota has purple flowers and a greenish seed coat. Dakota has been grown by prairie seed growers since 2010. Numbers aren’t in for 2012, but in its first two years it was yielding 10 to 20 percent above the checks. “CDC Dakota happens to have good yield and good standability. That doesn’t mean that every dun will have good yield and good standability,” says Warkentin. Australian farmers are exporting their dun peas to India, where they are dehulled and consumed as split peas. They’re a bit more irregular in shape than most peas grown in Western Canada, but they’re still relatively round and the seed coats, which have a slightly bitter taste, come off easily with dehulling equipment typically used in Canada, Australia or India. Once the seed coats are removed, dun peas will have the same flavour as other peas. So, how marketable is this pigmented pea? Warkentin isn’t sure. “I think there’s enough room in the market to grow some of it, but I think this will probably be limited to a dehulling market though, or to a buyer that’s going to sell into a dehulling market or they dehull it in Canada, either one. “So, I think it remains to be seen and if it’s high-yielding, that will of course make it more attractive. We just actually released the variety in 2010 as breeder seed, so at this point it hasn’t reached farmers yet. It’s only with seed growers at this time, but by next year, or the year after, there should be enough around that farmers could grow it if they like.” — BYERS

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities

Notice to Farmers

Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Genuity and Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, Roundup Ready®, and Roundup® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Used under license.

35 THE WESTERN PRODUCER

Mustard acreage unclear While total mustard acres have been in decline, Ethiopian mustard looks ready to take off. By Darlene Polachic Freelance writer

anada’s hottest oilseed crop has been getting a cool reception from farmers over the past few

years. Just three years ago, Canadian farmers harvested more than half a million acres of mustard. In the fall of 2011, that number fell to around 300,000 acres. Harvested area this fall was estimated at around 320,000 acres. Bobby Leavins of Rayglen Commodities says the biggest reason for the slump in mustard acreage in recent years is related to net returns and difficulties converting the crop into cash flow. Compared to other crops, returns are often unpredictable and marketing opportunities limited. “Mustard genetics and agronomics are not keeping up with other crops, which means net return is not in the upper echelon of specialty crops,” Leavins said. “As a result, mustard gets pushed to lower acres on the farm, or out of the rotation altogether.” Three types of mustard are commonly grown in Saskatchewan. Yellow is used in the yellow mustard condiment, brown is used for Dijon mustard and Oriental is primarily utilized for industrial purposes. The average yield for mustard is about 866 pounds per acre, and cash prices, as of early November, were 38 to 40 cents per pound for yellow, 32 to 33 cents for brown, and 25 to 26 for Oriental. Leavins said another impediment to production is weed management. Weed control for mustard is not as easy as it is with other seed crops and that can result in downgrading. Increased weed competition reduces overall yields and inseparable seeds in the sample can lead to downgrades and lower prices. Leavins said yellow mustard recently saw a rise in demand and price, but that was primarily a North American phenomenon. Globally, the expectation is that demand will stay level.

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

“Brown is quieter now than it was a number of months ago, but the price is still pretty attractive to growers,” he said. “Brown mustard can consistently achieve a 900 to 1,500 pound per acre crop and at 33 cents a pound, it’s a pretty decent return. “Bins are not sitting around full of Brown mustard, so we would not expect a huge acreage drop in the upcoming season.” Markets for Oriental mustard market have been slow and are likely to remain that way, he added. “It is uncommonly quiet. Japan is a main user, but the Japanese market has been quiet since the tsunami of March 2011, and other users have not picked up the slack. “Until demand for Oriental mustard comes back to the market, prices will probably remain fairly static.” According to Leavins, Canadian mustard acres are likely to fall in the upcoming year. In the spring of 2012, Canadian growers planted about 340,000 acres. “Mustard is a supply driven commodity, so in order for prices to see much of an upside push, we will need to see a production problem somewhere because mustard demand — for the most part —is quite inelastic,” he said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Mustard acreage has been on a downward trend during the past few years but rising prices could result in larger plantings next spring. As of early November, prices for yellow were pushing 40 cents per pound, a level that should result in attractive net returns, says the executive director of the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission. | FILE PHOTO

Canadian supply & demand: mustard seed (in 000 tonnes) Seeded area (000 acres) Harvested area (000 acres) Yields (bu./acre) Production Imports Total supply Exports Total domestic use Ending stocks Average price ($/tonne) * forecast Source: Statistics Canada | WP GRAPHIC

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13*

523.6 513.8 17.9 208.0 0.0 253.0 128.0 45.0 80.0 $510

479.2 459.4 17.9 187.0 1.0 267.0 124.0 19.0 125.0 $570

316.2 303.8 18.0 125.0 1.0 250.0 115.0 47.0 88.0 $685

340.9 321.1 17.3 126.0 0.0 214.0 125.0 29.0 60.0 $710 - $740

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

“The only thing that would change this trend is the possibility of a poor growing season in a competing part of the world.” In recent years, mustard production has increased globally, with France producing more Brown, and producers in Eastern Europe producing more Yellow and Oriental. Unlike some in the industry, Kevin Hursh, executive director of the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission, views mustard production in a more optimistic light. “Due to production problems with canola in 2012, mustard returns are very competitive right now,” he said. “I’m hearing that 2012 crop contracts for Yellow mustard are already being offered at 40 cents per pound, and that’s quite attractive. “In my opinion, it would be realistic to expect some increase in mustard acreage next year.” Hursh is optimistic about market potential for Ethiopian mustard or Brassica carinata, which can be used to make biodiesel and other industrial products. “Ethiopian mustard is currently being contracted by a biotech company, Agrisoma, which hopes to use the oil to develop a bio-jet fuel,” Hursh said. “This is something both the civilian and military aviation industry in Canada and the United States has been asking for.” According to Hursh, Ethiopian mustard was grown on significant acres in Saskatchewan for the first time in 2012. In 2013, contracted acreage is likely increase ten-fold roughly 75,000 acres, he said. ❖

Processors keep eye on production Mustard processors in Western Canada account for only a small portion of the global market but producers are watching local markets with interest nonetheless. Val Michaud, owner of Gravelbourg Mustard, uses Saskatchewan-grown mustard seed in condiment production. She buys milled mustard flour to make five wet mustard preparations. They include German Mustard, French Mustard, Saskatoon Berry-Style Mustard, Cranberry-Style Mustard and Garlic Mustard. Her company also sells a dried mustard flour and a dry mustard rub for barbecuing. “We’re definitely looking to expand,” Michaud said. “We’re already in Alberta, going to Manitoba soon, and our product will be in British Columbia in January of 2013.” Despite all the mustard that’s grown in Saskatchewan, it’s a challenge for processors like Michaud to obtain milled mustard for her processing operations. The only Saskatchewan-based miller closed down operations in early 2012. “With no local miller, I’m having to go elsewhere,” Michaud said. “So far the only mustard miller I’ve found is in Ontario. It would be wonderful if someone in Saskatchewan would take it on again.” Mustard has other applications outside the food industry. It has biological and insecticidal properties that make mustard oil a valuable

raw material in the production of soil fumigants, biopesticides and biofertilizers. A Saskatoon company, MPT Mustard Products & Technologies, is capitalizing on that potential. MPT manufactures fertilizers and pesticides from mustard seed and is hoping to double its production to 10 tonnes per day, according to chief operating officer Jay Robinson. One of MPTs products — MustGrow Crop Fumigant — recently received regulatory approval for use on a variety of berry crops in Canada. Robinson said the timing for the approval was ideal because another popular product used by berry growers has recently been discontinued. “For us, that was excellent because (growers) don’t really have any other option,” Robinson said. MPT also planned to launch its MustGrow Invest biopesticide for turf and ornamentals in Florida earlier this year. If MPT’s production doubles as Robinson expects, the company will use up to 4,000 tonnes of mustard seed a year. So far, MPT has been buying its mustard on the spot market, but it soon hopes to begin forward contracting through a major supplier. The eventual goal is to contract directly with growers, Robinson said. Canadian farmers were expected to produce around 125,000 tonnes of the oilseed in 2012, about 20 percent of which will be used domestically. ❖ — POLACHIC

Trans-Pacific trade benefits remain uncertain By Barry Wilson Western Producer staff

hen trade negotiators from 11 countries meet in Auckland, New Zealand later this year, it will be the first invitation for Canada to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. In the short term, Canadian farm exports will not be affected in a big way, say Canadian agricultural trade proponents. But for some sectors, including canola and pulse crops, the long-term impact could be significant. “We support the negotiation but at this point for our sector there are no major silver bullets coming out of it in terms of new export sales,” said Gord Kurbis, director of market access and trade policy for Pulse Canada.

CANOLA & Pulse 2012

“I think the big opportunity for us would be if Japan joins and at this point, that is far from certain.” Japan has not yet asked to join the TPP talks and has given no indication that it intends to. However, Canada and Japan are considering launching a round of bilateral trade talks. Canadian exporters say those talks could improve market access. “Honestly, from our sector’s point of view, I don’t think there would be any big instant payback in market access or export sales if a TPP is signed,” said Kathleen Sullivan, executive director of the Canadian AgriFood Trade Alliance. “I think the benefit would be down the road, particularly if South Korea and Japan came in.” When Canada joined the TPP process in October, canola council president

Patti Miller said a potential deal “presents a very good opportunity to open market access and develop predictable trade access in the Asia-Pacific region.” For the canola industry, one issue that could be dealt with in a TPP deal is agreement on rules related to low level presence, or LLP, of unintended genetically modified material in exports. The LLP issue has become a huge concern for Canadian exporters because small amounts of GMO material can appear in non-GMO shipments. CAFTA’s Sullivan said one of the benefits of a TPP deal would be the reduction of non-tariff barriers. “There are access issues from…lowlevel presence to other non-tariff barriers that need to be resolved and that could start in regional agreements like TPP.” ❖

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