Canadian Publication Mail Agreement 40021625 Full Tilt …saskpulse.com/files/mags/pp_march_2008.pdf · Canadian Publication Mail Agreement 40021625. ... Greg Cherewyk, Mark Goodwin,

Full Tilt Ahead

March 2008 Vol.8 No.2

Canadian Publication Mail Agreement 40021625

Now you can forget about weeds and focus on yield.Growing lentils can be tough enough. But with the CLEARFIELD® Production System

for lentils you can strike weed control off the list. We harnessed the proven ONE-PASS

weed control of ODYSSEY®, ODYSSEY DLX and SOLO® to superior lentil varieties. The

result is higher yield potential and an easier harvest. So forget about weeds and focus

on yield – with CLEARFIELD lentils.

Introducing Canada’s fi rst herbicide-tolerant lentil system.

Always read and follow label directions.

CLEARFIELD, the UNIQUE CLEARFIELD SYMBOL, ODYSSEY and SOLO are registered trademarks of BASF. Photograph contains CDC Imperial lentils, an extra small CLEARFIELD red lentil. © 2007 BASF Canada Inc.

PulsePoint March 2008 3Saskatchewan Pulse Growers

At the 2008 Annual General Meetingin January, Jim Moen completed his secondthree-year term as a Director, Vice-Chair andChair of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG).It has been my pleasure to serve with Jim asVice-Chair for the past year.

SPG has been very fortunate with the cali-bre of their Directors over the years. Our pastBoard members are a tremendous resourcefor our Board and we consistently rely ontheir expert advice. The dedication of ourpast Directors over the last 20 years have ledto remarkable accomplishments to theSaskatchewan pulse industry. Our vision for aviable and profitable pulse industry keeps usstriving for opportunities for pulse growersthat will keep Saskatchewan in the forefront ofthe pulse industry in the future.

At this year’s annual meeting, it was anhonour to be elected Chair of the Board. I have been a Director with SPG for four years.I farm at Carievale with my wife Carmen, ourthree children and my parents Leroy andJennifer Berry. We farm 4,900 acres of pulses,oilseeds and cereals, exclusively in a directseeded basis with a four or five year croppingrotation. I have served as a Councillor of theRural Municipality of Storthoaks, been aBoard member of the South East ResearchFarm, past President and current member ofthe Redvers and District Marketing Club andother local Boards. I also recently completed aterm on the Pulse Canada Board.

As the pulse industry evolves, we findourselves continuing to look for opportuni-ties. We now have a mature, developed indus-try and must seek more avenues for industryprofitability. Some of these areas include:• Green Lentil Market Report – a monthly

newsletter sent to lentil producers by mailand email with timely marketing informationthat will help with green lentil productionand marketing decisions.

• Pulse Canada – our investment in PulseCanada programs ensures that we have avoice federally and internationally. SPG sup-ports Pulse Canada’s key program areas inmarket development and market accessissues, access to crop protection products,research into the health benefits of pulsesand branding pulses as being nutritiousthrough the Food Nutrition Initiative and theindustry transportation strategy.

• Pulses and the Environment – SPG believesthat pulses can play a positive role in miti-gating environmental concerns, particularlythose related to greenhouse gas emissions.Pulse Canada is currently working on a newPulse Environment Project. Read more aboutit on page 7.

• Crop Insurance – the provincial governmenthas publicly committed to improving cropinsurance for farmers. SPG is prepared toprovide input where possible for improve-ments.

• Research – this continues to be a top invest-ment priority for SPG. We will continue tosupport research for new pulse varieties,better agronomics, and disease resistance.

Producers are getting higher prices for2007 pulse crops than in recent years andthere is optimism about the upcoming year interms of price forecasts. It looks as though2008 may shape up to be a great year for thepulse industry. I wish you a safe and prosper-ous growing season ahead and I look forwardto serving as your Chair.

Maurice Berry

CHAIR

Maurice Berry

Carievale, SK

(306) 449-2241

VICE-CHAIR

John Bennett

Biggar, SK

(306) 948-2852

DIRECTORS

Lloyd Affleck

Beechy, SK

(306) 858-2558

David Nobbs

Kindersley, SK

(306) 463-3277

Barbara Podhorodeski

Shipman, SK

(306) 426-2350

Murray Purcell

Pike Lake, SK

(306) 241-4732

Jeff Sopatyk

Saskatoon, SK

(306) 227-7867

chair’s message

Maurice BerryBoard Chair

board

Gearing Up For A New Season

4 PulsePoint March 2008 Saskatchewan Pulse Growers

Published for:Saskatchewan Pulse Growers104 - 411 Downey RoadSaskatoon, SK S7N 4L8Phone: (306) 668-5556Fax: (306) 668-5557Email: [email protected]: www.saskpulse.com

Published by:Sunrise Publishing2213B Hanselman CourtSaskatoon, SK S7L 6A8Phone: (306) 244-5668Fax: (306) 244-5679Email: [email protected]: www.sunrisepublish.com

Publication Dates:January, March, June, October

Publisher:Twila Reddekopp

Editors:Amanda Olekson, Rachel Kehrig

Contributors:Maurice Berry, Jesse Bruce, GregCherewyk, Mark Goodwin, GeoffHowe, Eric Johnson, RachelKehrig, Gord Kurbis, DorothyMurrell, Amanda Olekson, GarthPatterson, Penny Pearse, CarlPotts, Jeff Schoenau, FredSiemens, Bunyamin Tar’an, BertVandenberg, Tom Warkentin,Larry Weber

Art and Production:Trevor Sellar

Marketing:Linda Hamm

Saskatchewan Pulse Growersand Sunrise Publishing make noexpressed or implied warrantiesof merchantability or fitness fora particular purpose or other-wise, concerning the use of any product, advice provided, andmarket insights, and assumes noliability for any injury or damage,direct or consequential, whichmay be incurred from the useof such products or servicestherein. Federal, Provincial andMunicipal laws and regulationssupersede the information contained herein.

Canadian Mail PublicationsSales Agreement #40021625Postmaster please return undeliverable copies toSaskatchewan Pulse Growers 104 – 411 Downey RoadSaskatoon, SK S7N 4L8 ISSN 1701-9125PRINTED IN CANADA

Cover Photo:Uniquity Photography

3 Chair’s Message

20 Pulse Days Review

35 On Point: News Briefs

38 Closing Thoughts

5 Factors Affecting Herbicide CarryoverGrowers concerned about herbicide carryover should always follow herbicide labels.

7 The Pulse Environment ProjectRecognizing a concern for the environment as a potential opportunity for the pulseindustry, Pulse Canada has begun a three-year project to investigate how pulses canmeet the needs for sustainability in Canada’s food production system.

10 Pulse Profile – The Future of Snack FoodKLS Foods are marketing Crispeas as a snack that is healthy, but doesn’t taste healthy!

12 Celebrity ChefsFrom our kitchen to yours, celebrity chefs share their favourite pulse recipes.

14 Changes on the Horizon for TransportationPulse Canada continues to work at ensuring pulse shippers get better access to equipment and more reliable service.

16 Market Muse: What’s Ahead – Pea and Lentil OutlookStrong pea and lentil prices are being predicted for the 2008/09 season.

23 Making Progress on Market AccessPulse Canada is making progress in resolving market access issues and trade barrierconcerns with global trading partners.

25 Spotlight on Research: Creating New Markets for PulsesDr. Wendy Dahl is looking at new ways we can add more fibre to our diets using pulses.

27 Regulatory Reforms in ProgressNAFTA labeling on chemicals will be a long-term benefit to Canadian farmers.

29 Good Quality Seed for Spring PlantingThere will be good quality, disease-free pulse seed available for spring seeding.

31 Producing Better Quality Red LentilsProducing lentils with the best quality for milling will provide the best return oninvestment.

departments

features in this issue

table of contents

PulsePoint – March 2008

Full Tilt AheadThe pulse industry is full tilt ahead for what is shaping up to be a great growing season. As spring approaches, growers will be finalizing their planting decisions, so be sure to read the articles in this issue that focus on seed quality, herbicide carryover and red lentil seeding for great pre-season tips.

Also in this issue, strong prices for peas and lentils are being pre-dicted this season in the Pea and Lentil Market Outlook, which willhelp with seeding and marketing decisions for the upcoming year.

Finally, we share some updates from Pulse Canada, including a special feature on the newPulse Environment Project. We have also included updates on market access initiatives andPulse Canada’s transportation strategy and the recent passing of Bill C-8.

We wish you all the best this spring!


Soil residual herbicides offer manyadvantages to growers, particularly with con-trol of flushing and late emerging weeds. Lateflushes of weeds such as kochia can causesevere yield losses and harvesting problems,particularly in less competitive pulse crops.

There are some situations in which herbi-cides may carry over and damage rotationalcrops. The highest risk area in Saskatchewan in2008 is the brown soil zone because the grow-ing season precipitation was well below normal(Figure 1). On the other hand, residual herbi-cides are often used in the wetter dark brown,black, and grey soil zones and therefore I donot anticipate serious problems with herbicidecarryover and damage to rotational crops thisupcoming growing season. For those pulsegrowers in the dry brown soil zones that haveused a soil residual herbicide in 2007, theremay be a few issues to be aware of.

Factors Affecting Herbicide PersistenceEnvironment has a major effect on the persist-ence of herbicides in Western Canada. Soil mois-ture and temperature are very important factorsin determining the rate of pesticide breakdown.There are a number of mechanisms that deter-mine the environmental fate of a herbicide suchas volatilization, photolysis (breakdown fromsunlight) and leaching. However, the two pri-mary mechanisms of herbicide degradation aremicrobial and chemical hydrolysis. Both ofthese processes are dependent on soil water

and temperature, but soil moisture is more criti-cal with herbicides that require microbes todegrade. Soil microbes thrive in warm, moistsoils, which result in faster degradation.

Effect of Soil Properties on Herbicide CarryoverSoil properties such as organic matter content,soil texture, and soil pH also play an importantrole in the carryover potential of residual her-bicides. Generally, there are fewer problemswith herbicide carryover when soil organicmatter is high. It is the most important variablein controlling adsorption of the herbicide tosoil colloids. Herbicide adsorption to organicmatter may reduce its bioavailability and themoisture holding capacity of high organic mat-ter soils makes them conducive for increasedmicrobial activity. The effect of clay content onherbicide residues is similar to organic matterin that it tends to adsorb the herbicide as wellas improve water-holding capacity.

Soil pH is another factor affecting the resid-ual characteristics of some herbicides. A lowsoil pH (less than 7.0) tends to increase the per-sistence of imidazolinone herbicides such asOdyssey and Assert. Imidazolinone herbicidestend to be more adsorbed under acidic or lowsoil pH which reduces their availability formicrobial degradation. The herbicide Solo hasless potential to cause injury to rotational cropsthan Odyssey since it has a shorter half-life andit is not as easily taken up by plant roots.

Growers concernedabout herbicidecarryovershould alwaysfollow herbicidelabels.

by Eric Johnson and Jeff Schoenau

in briefFactors Affecting

HerbicideCarryover

crop protection


If growers used Lontrel or Curtail-M in 2007to control Canada thistle, they should be awareof potential carryover problems when seedingpulse crops in 2008 (Figure 2). Products thatcontain florasulam (such as Pre-Pass andFrontline) have a very short-term residual andthere should be no problem with re-croppingpulses on fields where these herbicides wereapplied in 2007. Temperature plays an importantrole in the breakdown of florasulam and there-fore pre-seed applications in early spring tend tocontrol weeds for a longer period of time thanpost-emergence applications in mid-June.

Testing for Herbicide ResiduesThere are two main approaches for detection ofherbicides in a sample of soil: 1) direct assess-ment by extraction and instrumental analysisand 2) bioassay using a sensitive plant species.Direct assessment involves extraction of thecompound from the soil and measurement usingan instrument like a chromatograph or massspectrometer. The advantage of this approach isthat it provides a quantitative measure of thetotal concentration of the compound in the soil.Techniques such as this are typically time con-suming and expensive, often costing hundredsof dollars per sample. What’s more, an extensivedatabase to relate the total concentration todamage potential in the field does not oftenexist, or is not readily accessible. As such,direct extractions are not typically used on aroutine basis in predicting injury potential.

The second approach to detection of her-bicide in a sample of soil is the use of a bioas-say. A plant bioassay involves assessment ofthe inhibition of some component of plantgrowth such as root length, shoot length oryield that is measured and related to the con-centration of the herbicide in the soil.

Compared to chemical extraction, bioassayanalysis is less expensive, detects the availableportion of the herbicide and does not requiresophisticated analytical instrumentation.

For detection of Group 2 herbicides withbioassays, inhibition of shoot growth and rootlength are often used. A simple mustard rootlength bioassay was developed at theUniversity of Saskatchewan for detection ofALS inhibitor residues in soil. This bioassay iscompleted in three days.

Field studies have shown agreementbetween yield reductions observed in treatedsoils and the root length inhibition bioassay.The mustard root length bioassay has poten-tial as a simple tool for agronomists to assistin making re-cropping recommendations togrowers. It must be noted that many environ-mental and soil factors affect the extent towhich injury occurs in the field and cannotalways be measured or reliably predicted in abioassay conducted on a soil sample.Furthermore, any assessment based on soilsampling soil is limited to how well the sam-ple collected represents the field

The best recommendation for a growerconcerned about herbicide carryover is to fol-low the herbicide label. Fortunately, cerealprices are high and they are a good rotationalcrop choice to seed on pulse fields whereOdyssey was applied in 2007. Spring wheat isthe most tolerant cereal to Odyssey, followedby durum wheat and barley. Cereals oroilseeds are a good re-cropping choice ifLontrel was applied in 2007.

There are some other residual herbicidesthat will be available in the near future.Authority (sulfentrazone) is a Group 14 herbi-cide that is awaiting registration in chickpea,flax, field pea and sunflower. The label willhave specific re-cropping recommendations.Simplicity is a Group 2 herbicide for the con-trol of grass and broadleaf weeds in springwheat, but it is anticipated that pulses will beable to be re-cropped the year following appli-cation. We can also expect another short-termsoil residual herbicide that will be tank-mixedwith glyphosate and applied as a burn-off.This herbicide will be used prior to the emer-gence of a number of cereal and pulse cropsand will provide some residual control ofbroadleaf weeds.

Eric Johnson is a weed biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Scott Research Farm. Jeff Schoenau isthe Saskatchewan Agriculture Research Chair in NutrientManagement at the University of Saskatchewan.

crop protection

Figure 2: Clopyralid carryover injury on fieldpea where below normalrainfall was received inyear of application.


Changing AttitudesWhen North American consumers scan gro-cery store shelves today, very few productsare telling a ‘green’ story. Few consumer prod-ucts are being differentiated in the market-place based on their positive contribution toenvironmental factors such as air, water, soil,land use, or biodiversity. However, predictionsare that over the next few years, companieswill look for a competitive advantage by mar-keting consumer products that tell a ‘green’story.

In 2007, we saw a critical shift in con-sumer preferences toward concern for theenvironment. At a recent U.S. food companyconference, research companies highlightedthat U.S. consumer interest in ‘green products’increased from 5% in summer 2007 to 15% inJanuary 2008. Among voters, ‘environment’ranked as the second highest national con-cern, after ‘improve schools’, and ahead of‘national security.’

Recognizing an increasing concern for theenvironment as a potential opportunity forthe pulse industry, Saskatchewan PulseGrowers, Alberta Pulse Growers, BASF, andPhilom Bios (now Novozymes BioAg) recentlybegan a three-year project at Pulse Canadacalled the Pulse Environment Project. Theproject will investigate the role that pulsescan play in meeting consumers’ and society’sneeds for environmental sustainability inCanada’s food production system. This willinclude promoting the low environmentalimpact of pulses to food and consumer prod-uct manufacturers who are interested in ingre-dients that can be positioned as positive forthe environment.

Environmental Benefits of PulsesContinued research is strengthening the positivelink between pulses and the environment.Pulses have numerous environmental benefits,most of which result from nitrogen fixation.Nitrogen fixation reduces the carbon emissionsassociated with the use of natural gas to manu-facture nitrogen fertilizers and ongoing researchin Western Canada also suggests lower overallgreenhouse gas emissions. Pulses reduce con-cerns about water quality problems associatedwith nitrogen fertilizers, contribute to soil con-servation, and result in numerous rotationalbenefits. Pulses are also one of the lowest envi-ronmental impact sources of protein, which willbecome increasingly important if the world pop-ulation reaches the United Nations forecast of 9billion people by 2050.

The positive contribution of pulse cropsto the environment is not a new concept.What has changed is the emerging consumerinterest in environmental sustainability andthe opportunity this presents to market pulseproducts as the vehicle to deliver ‘greener’food choices to consumers.

For a world increasingly concerned aboutsustainability, pulses have the potential to bepositioned in this market. In addition, pulsescan also play a ‘green’ role in animal feed inthe pet food market, a range of bio-products,and emerging carbon markets.

Environmental PromotionSome companies have started taking earlysteps to improve sustainability. Coca-Cola hasundertaken efforts worldwide to reduce wateruse in processing. Safeway has significantlyreduced its energy use. Sara Lee Corporation

Pulse Canadahas begun athree-year proj-ect to investi-gate how pulsescan meet needsfor sustainabilityin Canada’sfood productionsystem.

by Gord Kurbis

in brief

The PulseEnvironmentProject

environment

www.healthypeoplehealthyplanet.com


is reducing its packaging and Wal-Mart isusing its influence to have its suppliers lightentheir environmental impacts. For now, theseefforts have tended to differentiate certainretailers as “greener” than competitors.Expect the next step to be a wider range ofproducts within retailers to differentiate them-selves as “greener” than competing productson the same shelves.

The EU’s Sustainable Agriculture Initiativelays out a framework for downstream cus-tomers to evaluate the environmental effectsof food products. The UK’s Carbon Trust isused to promote consumer products withlower inputs of fossil fuels. The London-basedMarine Stewardship Council evaluates fish-eries’ sustainability internationally and per-mits qualifying consumer fish products to useits certified label. There are similar efforts inother organizations such as the WashingtonD.C.-based Grocery Manufacturers of Americaand broad coalitions of groups such as theColorado-based Keystone Center.

Meeting with senior food company execu-tives, Pulse Canada has observed that muchof their interest appears to be based on evenmore environment-driven consumer demandin the future. It seems retailers and the indus-try are just getting started at painting theirproduct lines ‘green’.

Equipping consumers with information onhow their choices affect the environment willultimately lead to demand for even moreimprovements in environmental performance.As retailers experience demand for ‘greener’products, wholesalers, manufacturers andingredient suppliers will have to quantify theirenvironmental performance if they want toparticipate in the newest growth market. Asmomentum builds, supply chains will competewith one another. An ingredient like pulsesalready has a lighter environmental footprintand can be positioned to meet that growing

demand and in turn, bring the benefits back tothe pulse industry.

Consumer MessagingConsumers are sending signals that they areinterested in changing the food they buy.Some will want to think in black and white –“just tell me if it is sustainable or not,” whileothers may want to understand food produc-tion. It will be a challenge to translate thecomplex biological systems and science ofpulses into an effective and simple environ-mental message for consumers. Can some-thing be considered ‘green’ if it:• Uses less fossil fuel to produce? • Improves soil tilth, water-holding capacity,

microbiological activity and diversity, aeration, and the amount of organic matterpresent?

• Reduces greenhouse gases? • Is positive for biodiversity?• Uses fewer crop inputs? • Produces more food per acre, reducing

pressure to change natural habitats to growfood?

• Uses less water per unit of output? • Has a measurable improvement on water

and air quality?

The key to moving forward will be findingout what messages will resonate most withconsumers and influencers of consumers. Thismeans working closely with the people thatsell to consumers, including retailers and gro-cery manufacturers. It also means workingwith the people that influence consumer atti-tudes, including non-governmental organiza-tions like the Sierra Club or World WildlifeFund. As the quest to define and market envi-ronmental sustainability takes shape, there isan opportunity and a requirement for agricul-ture to be at the table helping to lead the dis-cussion on sources of sustainable ingredients.

Cropping systems that include pulses arewell positioned to demonstrate environmentalvalue. Canada’s cold climate and related lowusage of crop protection products add to thestory. Our goal will be to position pulses infront of the ‘demand pull’ for environmentallysustainable food and consumer products, andcreate new demand for pulses that will bringvalue back to the Canadian farm gate.

Gord Kurbis is the Director, Environment at PulseCanada in Winnipeg, MB. He can be reached at 204-925-3788 or via email at [email protected].

Cropping systems that include pulses are

well positioned to demonstrate

environmental value.

environment

Brought to you by BECKER UNDERWOOD CANADA LTD.

NODULATOR FIXES AGAIN!

MAXIMIZE YOUR PEA, LENTIL AND CHICKPEA YIELD POTENTIAL

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After scouring the snack counterfor a quick bite you find yourself left with twooptions, your typical chocolate bar with 15gof fat (6g of which is saturated fat), or greasypotato chips that contain 10g of fat per 11chips – not even an entire bag. Both of thesepopular snack foods offer great taste, butaside from that, the benefits are slim.

You are not the only one who has felt thisway about snack foods. The creators ofCrispeas saw this void in the snack food mar-ket and sought out to create a crunchy snackthat offered not only great taste, but provideda healthy alternative to everyday snack foodsconsumers have become accustomed to.

Crispeas, a snack food made from premi-um grade green peas is available in threeflavours: Hot BBQ, Ranch and Salted. With just6.6 grams of fat per package, this snack is alsohigh in protein and fibre; something othersnack foods are lacking. Products similar toCrispeas have been met with huge success inAsian countries and KLS Foods in GrassyLake, Alberta felt that there was a potentialmarket to bring the trend of healthy snackfoods to North America.

“You can find a similar snack in ethnicmarket places but the seasoning is often notwhat people are looking for,” JoergKlempnauer, co-creator of Crispeas, explains.“We have over the past five years developed aseasoning to appeal to the local market.”Klempnauer describes his journey in develop-ing Crispeas as a learning experience.

“This is a new avenue and a learningprocess for us, being a new market makes itharder to pinpoint the product, which createsmarketing problems. It’s like with anythingelse, you have to put your toe in the water tosee how difficult it is going to be.”

Business for Crispeas has not always beenskyrocketing, but it has been growing monthby month. “We haven’t had any response say-ing ‘we don’t like this product’,” he adds.

KLS Foods likes to market Crispeas as asnack that is healthy but doesn’t taste healthy.Klempnauer thinks the importance of pulsesnacks can be placed on the relationshipbetween energy and protein in the snack.

“It is unlike cereals and potato chipsbecause without carbohydrates in the mix theprotein and energy relationship is a balancedone.”

However, the creators of Crispeas are notthe only ones to see value in using pulse cropsto promote healthy snack foods. A group ofstudents from the University of Manitobarecently won an international award for stu-dent product development at the AmericanAssociation of Cereal Chemists InternationalAnnual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas inOctober 2007 for their product Globix.

Globix is a healthy snack food alternativedesigned by integrating whole wheat and navybean flours which create a product that is highin fibre and protein and has zero fat. The tex-ture of the product has been compared to thatof a pretzel, but unlike pretzels, Globix is avail-able in a multitude of flavours includingCreamy Dill, Mild Curry, Wasabi and Jalapeno.

The group of 11 students set out to createthe pulse product after seeing the importanceof healthier snack food options and the marketavailability for pulse crop flours that can beused to develop products such as snack foods.

With Canadians becoming more con-scious of what they are putting into their bod-ies, it should not be long before retailers takenote of the attractive benefits of pulse snacksand their sale potential. This will result inincreased consumption of pulses right wherepulses are grown, here in Saskatchewan!

For more information about Crispeas,please visit www.crispeas.com.

KLS Foods are marketingCrispeas as asnack that ishealthy, butdoesn’t tastehealthy!

by Rachel Kehrig

in brief The Future ofSnack Food

pulse profile

Rachel Kehrig is the Communications Officer atSaskatchewan Pulse Growers. She can be reached at 306-668-9988 or [email protected].

Crispeas are a healthyalternative to everydaysnack foods.

THE PEA PLANT REACHES DEEP DOWN TO SHOW OFF HIS INOCULATED ROOTS.

THE GROWER APPEARS TO ADMIRE HIS ROBUST FIELD AND SURPRISES THE PLANTS.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

I WAS INOCULATED...

Arrrgh

IT DIDN’T HURT A BIT. IT’S CALLED NODULATOR.

IT FIXES NITROGEN EFFECTIVELY.

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SEE. . .


The Celebrity Chefs column is designed to excite your taste buds and provide new ideas on how you can include pulses inyour family meals. In this issue, our chefs from the Crop Development Centre bring you traditional, hearty winter recipesand a special dessert recipe that will be sure to leave you wanting more!

Dorothy Murrell, Managing Director at the Crop Development Centre provides a hearty vegetable chili recipe that willkeep you warm and toasty. Plant Breeder Bunyamin Tar’an treats us with a delicious Lentil Banana Carrot Cake recipe andTom Warkentin, also a Plant Breeder, spices things up with his Spicy Lentil and Black Bean Lasagna recipe. Try all three andlet us know which one your family likes best.

Do you have a favourite pulse recipe to share with our readers? Send it via email to [email protected] or fax it to306-668-5557, along with your contact information. Happy Cooking!

From ourkitchen to yours, celebritychefs share their favouritepulse recipes.

in briefCelebrityChefsTreats from the Crop Development Centre

tasty recipes

Hearty Vegetarian ChiliDorothy Murrell

1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾˝ cubes

2 medium carrots, diced1 medium onion, finely chopped1 cup frozen corn1 can (28oz/796mL) tomatoes, diced, with juice2 cans (each 19oz/540mL) black beans, rinsed

and drainedOR 4 cups (1L) soaked, cooked and drained

black beans1 can (4.5oz/125mL) chopped green chilies,

with liquid1 cup vegetable or chicken stock3 tbsp. chili powder½ tsp. salt¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro

Sour creamChopped, fresh cilantro

In a slow cooker, combine squash, carrots, onion,frozen corn, tomatoes (with juice), black beans,chilies (with liquid), stock, chili powder and salt;stir to mix well.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for3 to 4 hours, until hot and bubbling. Add cilantro;cover and cook on high for 15 to 20 minutes longer.Spoon into serving bowls and top with a dollop ofsour cream and additional chopped, fresh cilantro.

Comments: This is such a great slow cooker recipe!

Loretta’s Lentil Banana Carrot CakeBunyamin Tar’an

1½ cups lentil puree (add small amounts of water to cooked red or green lentils and blend until the consistency of a puree)

¾ cup canola oil½ cup mashed banana1½ cups packed 1 tsp. baking soda

brown sugar 1 tsp. ground allspice2 tsp. vanilla ½ tsp. salt1 egg ½ cup chopped 2 cups whole-wheat walnuts (optional)

flour 1 cup finely grated 2 tsp. baking powder carrots

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). In a mixing bowlcombine lentil puree, oil, banana, brown sugar,vanilla and egg until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder,baking soda, allspice and salt. Mix thoroughly. Beatinto lentil mixture a little at a time. Stir in walnutsand carrots.

Turn into a 22 X 34cm (9̋ X 13̋ ) non-stick bakingdish. Bake 30 minutes, or until toothpick insertedin centre comes out clean. Top with cream cheeseicing (if desired). Makes 24 servings.

Comments: We were able to sample this tasty andnutritious cake at the Regional Pulse DevelopmentWorkshop in Weyburn.

Spicy Lentil and Black Bean LasagnaTom Warkentin

Ground beefGreen lentilsCanned black beansCanned tomato sauceGarlic Cottage cheeseChili peppers EggGround black pepper Lasagna noodles

and salt (oven ready)Spinach Mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground beef. Boil lentils until just soft-ened. Rinse and drain canned black beans. Addcanned tomato sauce to beef, lentils and blackbeans. Add garlic, chili peppers, black pepper, andsalt to taste. Simmer. The sauce will be runny, asthe pasta will absorb water.

Boil the spinach, and drain. Mix with cottagecheese, an egg and black pepper.

Assemble in a large glass baking dish, starting witha layer of the tomato mixture, followed by lasagnanoodles, pulse sauce, lasagna noodles, cottagecheese/spinach mixture and lasagna noodles. Topwith a layer of grated mozzarella cheese. Cover withaluminum foil. Bake at 180ºC (350ºF) for 30 to35 minutes. Enjoy with a salad and fresh bread!

Comments: This recipe supports prairie agriculture:pulses, cereal, beef, dairy, and vegetables. I didn’tinclude any measurements because it changeseach time I make it. I usually like to use a ratio ofabout ¾ pulses to ¼ beef in the sauce. Feel freeto make the sauce spicy for extra taste!

THE GROWER PROUDLY EXAMINES THE PLANT AND MOVES ON…

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THAT NODULATOR SURE DOES THE JOB. IT FIXES NITROGEN EFFECTIVELY

AND OFFERS A GREAT RETURN ON MY INVESTMENT

Hmmm.. .


As this article was being written,Bill C-8 – An Act to Amend the CanadaTransportation Act had literally just receivedRoyal Assent. With Bill C-8 becoming law onFebruary 28, 2008 it has put an end to a losingstreak, which saw four transportation bills dieon the Order Paper since 2003. It also leads toa review of rail freight service as promised bythe Minister of Transport, Lawrence Cannon.But, as much as Pulse Canada supports theBill and the service review, it has not got all ofits hopes riding on these two events.

In November of 2007, Pulse Canada andAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada finalized acontract that saw the Advancing CanadianAgriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) programfund the development and execution of a trans-portation strategy for the pulse industry. Theprimary focus of the work over the next yearand a half is to ensure that shippers of pulsesgain improved access to equipment and moreconsistent and reliable service from everyonewith a stake in moving their product to port.

There are a total of eleven projects thatfocus on everything from forming a multi-partycommittee designed to work out day-to-dayproblems to assessing the infrastructurerequirements of the industry. However, a fewkey projects promise to be much more eye-opening as they aim to shine a spotlight on thesystem that moves product from the prairiesto the port. In many ways, the work beingdone in this area amounts to a transportationservice review for the pulse industry.

By examining in detail the process fromthe time sales are made to the point where theproduct is put on an ocean vessel, the indus-try will be able to better understand wherethe process breaks down, where we shouldfocus attention and what will provide the best

possible return on investment. The projectwill focus on the performance of all partiesand will not rely on anecdotal evidence. Theanalysis will utilize indisputable data frominteractions between shippers, railways andshipping lines and will focus on producing acommon set of objective information that canbe used to bring all parties to the table in aneffort to find solutions that will benefit all. Toooften it is not until the numbers are crunchedand the cost of the current way of doingthings are put on the table for all to see thatyou find a willingness to search for and imple-ment solutions.

Make no mistake; this industry believesthat the right regulations must be in place toact as a legislative backstop when commercialsolutions cannot be found and when commer-cial negotiations break down. In the currentenvironment, the balance of power does notreside with the shipper and that is preciselywhy Bill C-8 and the service review are soimportant. However, efforts must continue toensure that the pulse industry positions itselfas a profitable partner of the serviceproviders who ultimately get the products inthe hands of the customer.

Successful strategies are most oftenunderpinned by a diversified range of efforts –recognizing there is rarely a silver bullet solu-tion to a problem. So while we are happy tosee the provisions within Bill C-8 become lawand look forward to the rail freight servicereview, Pulse Canada will continue to workhard from many different angles to improveconditions for its members.

Pulse Canadacontinues towork at ensuring pulseshippers get better access to equipment andmore reliableservice.

by Greg Cherewyk

in brief Changes on the Horizon for Transportation

transportation

Bill C-8 requires areview of the rail freight service.

PHOTO COURTESY CN RAIL

Greg Cherewyk is the Director of Transportation withPulse Canada. He can be reached at 204-925-4457 or byemail at [email protected].

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Pea OutlookStatistics Canada December 31, 2007 stocks onhand reports had all peas at 1,460,000 MT,which is about a 6.5% drop from last year andthe five-year average level. When you considerthe historical disappearance between January1 and the end of the crop year and when youfactor in the pending old crop sales thought tobe in the works at this time, the projected200,000 MT ending stocks figure projected byAg Canada on January 30 might even be a tadon the high side.

As can be observed from the followinggraph, total use of green and yellow peas com-

bined, which includes exports, domestic pro-cessing, feed and seed, is a relative increasingconstant, while ending stocks is more of avariable number.

The other observation that can be takenfrom this graph is that price is influencedmore by ending stocks than total use. So whenyou are looking for a price indication, a goodnumber to have a handle on would be the pro-jected ending stocks. Based on the potentialfor having the lowest stocks on hand since the2000/01 crop year, Ag Canada is projectingprices for 2007/08 at historically high levels,which seems quite in order when you consid-er that at the time of writing this article therewere bids in the market for $10+ for both yel-low and green peas.

All indications support strong pea pricesagain in 2008/09 relative to historical prices.While new crop peas are currently bid at a$1.00 to $2.00 discount to 2007/08 for bothgreens and yellows, prices are holding strongconsidering annual average prices. A measureof the strength of this forecast is to comparethe anticipated price increases for peas rela-tive to other commodities that are competingfor acreage in Western Canada. As can benoted in the following graphs, the forecastyear-over-year increase for pea prices in 2008is currently leading the pack, which lends sup-port to the fact that prices will be strong againin 2008, although perhaps less than in 2007.This can be taken as a general indication that

Strong pea andlentil prices predicted forthe 2008/09 season.

in brief What’sAheadPea and Lentil Outlook

market muse

by Larry Weber and Fred Siemens

Figure 1: All Peas – Use/Ending Stocks vs. Price

SOURCE: AAFC

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the trade is asking for at least status quo (ifnot an increase) for pea acres this spring.

The results of the Indian rabi (winter)crop that will be hitting the market inFebruary is always a good place to look forwhat the market will be asking of Canadianfarmers for pea acres this spring. In additionto India being a major consumer of their ownproduction, India also consumes nearly one-third of Canada’s pea exports. On February 7,the official reports out of India were thatIndia’s rabi season total pulse output was like-ly to fall by 8.82% to 8.57 million tonnes in2007/08, against 9.40 million tonnes a year ear-lier. These numbers are starting to find theirway back into new crop bids in Canada, whichare up close to 10% on a month-over-monthbasis with greens at $9+ and yellows at $8+.

Another factor that bodes well for addi-tional pea acres this spring is the high cost ofnitrogen. Should this in fact add to the seeded

acreage of peas, then there will be an addi-tional demand on existing stocks for seed,which will further deplete the historically lowstock levels, which will challenge endingstocks in 2008/09 and add additional supportfor new crop prices.

In the last outlook, Ag Canada also hasthe 2008 pea yields below average, undoubt-edly based on the distinct potential for drier-than-normal conditions in Western Canada tra-ditional pea country. Even with the additionalacres forecast by Ag Canada, it will be a chal-lenge to bring ending stocks in July of 2009 upto a level that would give the trade comfort.This will be supportive for new-crop peaprices and should provide the opportunity tosign contracts with a respectable margin.

Undoubtedly, producers will be adjustingand fine-tuning their planting intentions forthe next few months, but considering theabove factors, peas can easily maintain thesame level of acres as last year, and evenbump that number higher, as predicted by Ag Canada, without compromising thefavourable pricing opportunities currently inthe market.

Lentil OutlookYear-over-year price indications are one of thebest clues as to what the demand side of thepuzzle looks like. Figure 4 tracks pricechanges as compared to the base year of 2005and you can see that prices for all but largegreen lentils did not change much from 2005to 2006 – therefore not much increase indemand. However, there was a substantialbump up in 2007 as lentils became somewhatscarce after the second year in a row ofreduced acres and less-than-average yields,sending prices across all varieties to recordprices. In other words, demand outpaced sup-plies in 2007, which was supportive of higherprices.

Following the December 31 stocks reportby Statistics Canada, Ag Canada dug out itscrystal ball and forecast ending lentil stocksfor 2007/08 at 60,000 MT, reinforcing thenotion that supplies are near record low levelsfor lentils. Even with the modest increase pro-jected by Ag Canada for seeded acres, lentilstocks will take more than one year to recoverto a level that would allow the trade tobecome passive bidders. This supports thenotion that lentil prices will be strong again in2008/09.

market muse

Price information in the above charts was gathered from a number of trade sources.

Figure 2: Percentage Price Increase vs. 2005

Figure 3: Percentage Price Increase vs. 2005


Using 2005 as the base reference year,new crop bids in the market at the beginningof February, while lower than the recordprices of last year, are still strong for largegreens (Lairds) at 113% higher than 2005 (avg.$0.25/lb), small greens (Estons) at 50% higher(avg. $0.18) and red lentils at an impressive290% higher than 2005 (avg. $0.22/lb). Therewere no new crop bids in the market in midFebruary for Richleas or French greens. Basedon the continuing increase in prices, the mar-ket is encouraging you to seed more lentilsagain this year.

Another good place to look for pricingclues is in the total annual usage of lentils ascompared to stocks of lentils left over at theend of the crop year. This is referred to as thestocks/use (s/u) ratio. Generally speaking, ifyou compare the current s/u ratio to the pre-vious year and to the average for the previous17 years, you will get a sense for price direc-tion. If the s/u ratio is lower than the previousyear, it is indicative of relatively strongerprices, and if the s/u% is higher, then priceswill tend to be relatively lower than the previ-ous period. For all lentils the s/u ratio for2008/09 is 7%, as compared to last year’s 9%and the previous year’s s/u of 14%. In general,this points to better prices for 2008/09 thanlast year and considerably better than thelonger-term average.

Canada is typically the largest exporter oflentils. So by extension, what happens inCanada will have a significant impact on worldprices. Other countries of significant influenceinclude India, which is also a major consumerof Canadian lentils, Australia and the UnitedStates. With prices in the teens, the U.S.farmer will obviously favour wheat. In India,Australia and Western Canada the moisturebed is not ideally suited to a bumper crop. Itwill prove a challenge indeed to generate addi-tional lentils acres and increased yieldsthroughout the lentil growing regions of theworld, which will weigh heavily on total sup-plies in 2008/09, which in turn will be support-ive of an increase in lentil prices for next year.

AAFC is forecasting a 10% increase inboth lentil and pea seeded acres in 2008/09.Although Ag Canada is forecasting lentilprices in 2008/09 at higher levels than 2007/08and pea prices at less than last year, itappears that the trade is telling farmers theyare indifferent to whether farmers shouldincrease their acres for lentils or peas.

The new-crop versus old-crop percentagediscounts for bids that are in the market inmid-February, as compared to old crop bids,are strikingly similar for Lairds/Estons to bothyellow and green peas. The new-crop discountfor red lentils, at about 30% less than oldcrop, is not as kind as new crop green lentilvarieties, which range from 13% to 24% lessthan old crop bids. Considering the currentindifference of the market signals, the addi-tional swing acres are likely to favour peasversus lentils, considering the nitrogen bonusfavours peas and peas are an easier crop totake from seedbed to the bin. This is not tolose sight of the fact that new crop bids areindicative that the trade needs more seededacres of both peas and lentils.

market muse

Larry Weber is President of Weber Commodities Ltd. inSaskatoon, SK. Fred Siemens is a partner with WeberCommodities Ltd., based in Winnipeg, MB.

Price information in the above chart was gathered from a number of trade sources.

Source: AAFC

Figure 4: Lentil Price Percentage Increase vs. 2005

Figure 5: All Lentils – Stocks/Use Percentage

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PHOTO BY GEOFF HOWE

Pulse Days Recipe: Banana Lentil Muffins

(Served during breakfast at the Saskatoon Inn and Prairieland Park)

1 egg, slightly beaten½ cup (125 mL) canola oil

½ cup (125 mL) sugar1 cup (250 mL) bananas, mashed

1 cup (250 mL) lentil puree* 1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla

1 1 ⁄3 cup (325 mL) whole-wheat flour 1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda

1 tsp. (5 mL) baking powder

Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Combine egg, oil, sugar, bananas, lentil puree, and vanilla. Mix well.

Mix together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir into egg mixture only until combined. Spoon

into greased muffin tins until 2⁄3 full. Bake for 15–20 minutes.

Lentil Puree1 cup (250 mL) lentils, washed 2 ½ cups (625 mL) water

Place washed, drained lentils in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Cover and simmer until tender for 40-50 minutes. Drain lentils, reserving the stock. Blend stock with

the lentils to make a smooth puree (consistency of canned pumpkin). Makes 2 cups.

Hint: lentil puree freezes well!

Speakers shared information about the environ-mental benefits of pulses, cost of productionand market outlooks. Dr. David Layzell presentedTowards a Sustainable Bioeconomy: Implicationsfor the Pulse Industry. The Pulse Days speakerPowerPoint presentations are available on theSPG website at www.saskpulse.com.

Germain Dauk was honoured for hiscontributions to the pulse industry asthe 2007 recipient of the BASF PulsePromoter of the Year Award. Germainhas been farming for over 23 years. Germain spent time as a Director with SPG from 1998-2004.


PHOTO BY GEOFF HOWE

Thank you to the 960 people who attended Pulse Days2008. Over half of the delegates attended at PrairielandPark – pictured here.


A Special Thank You to our Platinum Sponsors

Thank youto all who attended

Pulse Days 2008Building the Bioeconomy

As well as our Sponsors and ContributorsNufarm DuPontAgriculture Council of Sask. Becker UnderwoodDow Agro Sciences TD Canada TrustSaskcan Pulse Trading Western ProducerCJWW 600 1050 CJNB/102.3 CJNSCKBI 900 News Talk 650CJVM 1330/CFYM 1210 Bayer CropScienceCFT Corporation Canadian Grain CommissionPea Bud Snacks Farm Credit Canada

Copies of the presentations and the proceedings booklet are now on our website

at www.saskpulse.com.

See you next year at Pulse Days 2009in Saskatoon, SK January 12 & 13, 2009

PHOTO BY GEOFF HOWE

Syngenta created a media buzzwhen they hired local designstudents to create dressesmade with different pulse crops.

A special thank you to the students from the College ofAgriculture and Bioresources that helped out at Pulse Days.

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Access to key export markets hasbeen identified as one of the top priorities forPulse Canada’s stakeholders. Below is an updateon three of the most significant market accessissues Pulse Canada is currently addressing.

IndiaIn late 2003, India changed its import require-ments for pulses to require that all shipmentsbe:1. Certified to be free from certain pests,

including stem and bulb nematode, and;2. Fumigated prior to leaving Canada.

India recognized that Canada cannot fumi-gate year-round and has allowed Canada, onan interim basis, to meet this mandatory fumi-gation requirement by fumigating all ship-ments upon arrival to India.

This interim policy has recently beenextended to September 30, 2008. While thisextension was critical for Canadian peaexports to continue to flow to India pastMarch 31, 2008, the interim policy is now setto expire in the middle of the peak shippingperiod to India. Canada and India must redou-ble efforts to secure a permanent solution inadvance of the September 30, 2008 deadline toprevent disruptions to trade and drive riskpremiums out of the system.

The requirement that shipments be certi-fied free of stem and bulb nematode has con-tinued to add risk and cost into the system.Only 0.17% of pea samples tested over the lastfour years have tested positive for this pest.However, the cost to the Canadian industry ofdealing with shipments testing positive is veryhigh – in excess of $100,000 per vessel. Theindustry has estimated that $30 million in risk

premiums are being added to the cost of doingbusiness with India because of this importrequirement. India imported over 1 milliontonnes of Canadian yellow peas in 2007, repre-senting approximately 50% of Canadian peaexports.

India completed a pest risk assessment(PRA) for Canadian yellow peas in Decemberand asked the Canadian government for com-ments. While the PRA should have been com-pleted prior to introducing new import meas-ures in late 2003, the PRA is a very importantstep towards achieving a permanent solution. Itwill provide the basis on which governmentofficials can work towards a permanent solu-tion that is workable for the industry, while stillachieving India’s plant protection objectives.

Recently, Pulse Canada Chair and SPGDirector Lloyd Affleck and SPG Chair MauriceBerry were in India and met with senior Indianagriculture officials to discuss the urgent needto permanently resolve this issue. We arehopeful that this issue can be resolved perma-nently before the new crop shipping season.

ChinaIn early 2006, some shipments of Canadianpeas to China were detained due to thereported selenium content being in excess ofChina’s limit of 0.3 ppm. This resulted in greatuncertainty for Canadian exporters and haltedthe flow of Canadian peas into China.

In October 2006, Canadian officials weretold that peas being imported for starch usein the eastern province of Shandong and peasimported for feed throughout China would notbe rejected due to high selenium content.

China’s current standard for selenium inpeas and other products has been under

Pulse Canada is makingprogress inresolving mar-ket access andtrade barrierconcerns withglobal tradingpartners.

by Carl Potts

in briefMaking Progress on Market Access

market access


review, and a conclusion is expected in early 2008. PulseCanada has been working cooperatively with Canadian gov-ernment officials to provide information requested by China,including information showing the very low levels of seleni-um in pea starch and vermicelli (the primary end product forCanadian peas in China). Pulse Canada provided informationthat showed that the selenium content in peas stays with theprotein fraction and not the starch used to make vermicelli.

Pulse Canada is hopeful that China will either removethe standard altogether or raise its maximum limit for seleni-um so that exports of Canadian peas are no longer affected,and to ensure the unimpeded flow of Canadian pulses toChina.

Bilateral Free Trade AgreementsIn June 2007, Canada launched free trade agreement (FTA)negotiations with three out of four priority countries identi-

fied by the Canadian pulse industry (Peru, Colombia andDominican Republic). United States agreements and negotia-tions with these countries threaten Canadian market accessfor pulses due to the tariff advantage U.S. exporters receive.

Canada ended negotiations with Peru in January, whichif implemented quickly, will minimize the time that Canadianpeas face a 20 per cent tariff disadvantage relative to theU.S. Peru is a significant market for Canadian pea and lentil.Pulse Canada is supporting the government to completenegotiations as quickly as possible with Colombia and theDominican Republic. Pulse Canada is also working to raisethe profile of its fourth priority country, Morocco, as a highpriority for FTA negotiations.

market access

Carl Potts is the Director of Market Development at Pulse Canada and canbe reached at 204-925-3786 or [email protected].

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To increase pulse consumptionin North America, researchers have beenworking on adding pulses to common foodssuch as pasta, tortillas, and sports bars. Dr.Wendy Dahl has also been looking at ways toincorporate whole pulses into common foodsto increase the number of available productsthat provide the recommended daily intake foradults of 21-38 grams of fibre. Dahl believesthat most people get 50% or less of the dailyrecommendation, especially young children.

Her pulse research projects, funded by theSaskatchewan Pulse Growers look at ways inwhich whole pulses can be used as a food sup-plement that is high in fibre for people whohave swallowing disorders. It also looks at howfinely ground yellow pea hull can be used toincrease fibre content in a number of snackfoods, pastas, breakfast cereals and muffins.

In 2000, SPG funded their first humanstudy; a research project focused on pea fibreunder the direction of Dahl, an AdjunctProfessor with the University of Saskatchewan’s(U of S) College of Pharmacy and Nutrition.After further research into fibre rich pulses,Dahl started to conduct research in long-termcare facilities, focusing on people with swallow-ing disorders. Dahl realized that pulses wouldbe ideal for pureed texture foods. She explainsthat pureed pulses have low adhesiveness, sothey are not sticky when trying to swallow, andsince there is little or no taste, they can bealtered to taste like anything. Pulse-basedpurees are also lower in sugar, fat and sodiumand are higher in protein, fibre and micronutri-

ents in comparison to the products currentlybeing used in long-term care facilities.

“I realized there was really a void in themarket for pureed foods that were high infibre and nutrients. The ones that were outthere lacked variety and did not meet nutri-tional requirements,” says Dahl. Obtainingthese recommended nutrients is important forpeople with swallowing disorders becausethey are limited in what they can eat.

Dahl, her team of nutrition students and aproduct development specialist have producedfive soups and six dessert puddings that arenutrient-dense, pulse-pureed formulations. Thesoups include cream of tomato, cheddar cheeseand tomato beef and dessert puddings such asvanilla, raspberry, chocolate and pumpkin pie.

Dr. Wendy Dahlis looking atways we canadd more fibreto our dietsusing pulses.

by Amanda Olekson

in briefCreating New Marketsfor Pulses

spotlight on research

Some of the pea hullfibre fortified snacksdeveloped by Dahl andher research team.


“Each of these formulations were tested at a local carehome in Saskatoon, by the general public and registereddieticians and were found to be highly acceptable by every-one,” adds Dahl. The soups and puddings were also devel-oped to offer long-term care facilities an easy method ofpreparation – whether being prepared fresh, frozen or as apowder for longer storage capability.

Pureed foods are not only developed for people withswallowing disorders, but they are also consumed by thegeneral population in the form of dips and desserts. Dahlbelieves that pulse based pureed foods such as desserts anddips are ideal for people with dairy-free and vegan diets.Dahl also plans to develop formulations for vegan entrees.

Another project under the direction of Dahl, looking toincrease the number of fibre rich products available, isstudying the nutritional benefits of finely ground pea hullfibre and the possibility of incorporating it into cereal-basedproducts such as muffins, pancakes and hot cereals toincrease fibre content. Dahl explains that increasing intakesof dietary fibre may help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetesand colon cancer. Pea hull fibre can be added to foods con-sumed by children, adults and the elderly, specifically thoseliving in long-term care facilities.

Dahl claims that most children are not getting the rec-ommended amount of fibre in their daily diets and that isalarming. Adding pea hull fibre to their favourite foods is aneasy way to ensure they are getting the fibre they need andat the same time, reducing constipation and unhealthy guts.

“Pea hull fibre can be mixed into any cereal-based foods,including treats such as chocolate, cakes and cookies. It is asimple fibre enhancement and there is no reason to have a fibre deficient diet when the pea hull can be added thateasily, without changing the taste,” says Dahl. Because chil-dren influence our food markets and children's food domi-nate store shelves, pea hull fibre should be an importantingredient in their food.

Dahl is hoping that her research projects will increasepulse consumption by showing people how easy it is to addfibre to your diet.

“We as dietitians need to teach people how to incorpo-rate more pulses into their diets. It is important for peopleto know that they can add pureed pulses to their soups or acan of pureed chickpeas to their pre-made brownie mix.People like convenience, and pulses can be added to con-venience foods to ensure that we are getting our proper fibreintake,” she says.

So what is next for pulse-based pureed foods and peahull fibre? Dahl has partnered with the U of S College ofCommerce to commercialize a number of the pulse-pureedformulations and develop a business plan. Dahl also hopesthat when the pea hull project is completed in April, they willbe able to commercialize a number of pea hull fibre fortifiedproducts. Investments in this type of value-added research arean important step in creating new markets for pulses.

Amanda Olekson is the Communications Manager at Saskatchewan PulseGrowers. She can be reached at 306-668-0032 or [email protected].

spotlight on research

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The federal government has startedto roll out some promising regulatory proce-dures that should do three things for farmers;1. Get new crop protection chemistries into

Canadian farmers’ hands at the same timeas producers in other agricultural nations(especially in the United States).

2. Get old crop protection chemistries intoCanadian farmers’ hands in a more cost effec-tive way – through the re-engineering of thegeneric registration processes here in Canada.

3. Allow farmers to ‘cross-border shop’ in theUnited States for a dozen or more productsthrough a revamped import program.

Canada has been viewed as a small mar-ket by world scale chemical/pharmaceuticalcompanies. As such, we often receive chemi-cals in the Canadian market years after theyhave hit the European Union or the U. S. agsector. As we move into an era where we aretrying to export our pulses against a currency‘gradient’ (the high Canadian dollar versus theU. S. dollar), it is important that we gain everyadvantage that we can with regards to havinginnovative new technology and competitivepricing for crop protection chemistry.

NAFTA Labels – 20 to 26 new products in the pipelineMost of us recognize that U. S. and Canadianfarmers generally speak the same languageand both of our societies share the same

stringent regulatory approaches to bringingnew chemicals to the food production system.It makes sense for the Pest ManagementRegulatory Agency (PMRA) in Canada and theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) in theU. S. to work together and register chemistrieson a NAFTA basis.

Thankfully, some people in the industryand the government have started to make bigprogress on this. There are more than 20 newchemicals in the line-up that are headedtowards having one label – a NAFTA Label.Some of these products include a new chem-istry for Ascochyta (an alternative to the stro-bi’s), and a Sclerotinia product.

This means lower costs to register thechemicals, faster registrations over the longterm and the end of price segregation basedon regulatory barriers. We should be able tofreely move these products back and forthacross the border.

A new generics program – less red tape and more low cost, off-patent productsThe past generic legislation made the processof bringing a new generic to the market so dif-ficult that Canadians have been at a disadvan-tage because of the products our Americancounterparts have had available to them. Oneof the problems revolved around a lengthyand expensive process for negotiating datacompensation for the original manufacturer.

NAFTA labellingon chemicalswill be a long-term benefit to Canadianfarmers.

in brief

by Mark Goodwincrop protection

RegulatoryReforms in Progress


The new generic legislation, Protection of ProprietaryInterest in Pesticide Data (PPIP) is now effectively being fol-lowed in policy and is designed to rapidly allow new compa-nies with new generics to come to Canada and competeeffectively on a cost basis. It calls for ‘time clocks’ of 90 daysfor negotiating stages between the original manufacturersand generic companies so that rapid market entry isensured. There are already several glyphosate generics fromAsia and Europe crowding into Ottawa’s queue.

An importation program – GROUThe ‘Grower Requested Own Use Import Program’ (or GROU)has had its hiccups. Five products were admitted into GROU,but late in the 2007 growing season. They included twoglyphosate, Basagran, Reflex and Banvel. Since that time, grow-ers have contacted farm organizations requesting other prod-ucts be added to the list. The horticultural industry requested‘Gavel’ be approved and that product will be allowed for 2008.On the field crop side, other GROU nominees include Horizon,Refine Extra, and Bravo. As well, old stand by’s such as 2,4 D,Atrazine (an Ontario nomination), Dithane, Dual and Malathionare in the list. As of mid March, a total of ten products havebeen approved for the GROU program (see below).

We also asked if the manufacturer of Clear Out would let producers import this product or a ‘twin’ to it (‘Glystar’).At time of writing, no response had been received.

GROU will release anywhere from six to ten productsper year as grower organizations add their requests to thelist. However, the real long-term benefit to Canadian farmersis not going to be GROU, but the NAFTA labelling initiative.Once crop protection chemicals become registered on a harmonized basis, it is hopeful that we will not have to workour way through ad hoc programs because the labels will beseamless on both sides of the border.

For more information about the GROU Program, pleasevisit the PMRA website at: http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/appregis/grou/grou_imp-e.html.

crop protection

Mark Goodwin is a pest management consultant with Pulse Canada inWinnipeg, MB. He can be reached at [email protected].

GROU Approved Products (As of March 18, 2008)

– Sevin® Brand XLR PLUS– BRAVO ZN– GF-120 NF NATURALYTE FRUIT FLY BAIT– AATREX® LIQUID 480– GAVEL 75DF FUNGICIDE– TOUCHDOWN iQ LIQUID HERBICIDE– REFLEX LIQUID HERBICIDE– ROUNDUP WEATHERMAX WITH TRANSORB 2 TECHNOLOGY

LIQUID HERBICIDE– BANVEL II HERBICIDE– BASAGRAN LIQUID HERBICIDE

Several more products are currently under review.

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Email: [email protected]

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Email: [email protected]

Thank You!– The Dutton family

and our amazing staff

Because some days you have more important things to get done.

WE thrive on finding the best places in the world to sell your commodities.

Because we are growers too, we know howimportant it is to your family and your farm.

PEAS • CHICKPEAS • LENTILS • CANARY SEED • MUSTARD • FEED GRAINS • FLAX

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Pulse growers need to keep inmind a number of factors heading into the2008 growing season. One of these considera-tions should be the health and quality of theseed being planted. A little bit of due diligenceat the start of the season can protect againstproblems of stand establishment and diseaseduring the growing season.

Some growers will choose to plant certi-fied (“blue tag”) seed that meets requirementsfor germination and purity, but certified seeddoes not necessarily mean the seed will bedisease-free. Ask for a copy of the seed testhealth report if you are purchasing seed, orhave a seed health test conducted on yourown seed before planting.

To understand the quality of seed for2008, it is necessary to review the 2007 grow-ing conditions. Most pulse crops produced inthe south and western regions experiencedgood spring conditions, followed by hot anddry conditions in July and August. Theseweather conditions resulted in early maturingcrops with little disease.

Crops grown in the eastern and northernregions experienced wet feet in the spring, hotconditions in mid-summer, and may also havebeen exposed to wet conditions during har-vest. This combination of events led to moreseed issues caused by disease or adverse con-ditions. Because of this, there was great vari-ability in seed quality across the province.You know your crops and location better thananyone else and can predict which seed

issues are most likely to be a problem. It maymean buying new seed, cleaning your seedand/or using a seed treatment.

Overall, the average yields for pea, lentiland chickpea in 2007 were similar to the 10-yearlevels and the majority of seed graded in thetop two grades. Some lentil seed has shown dis-colouration due to the very high temperaturesat maturity. Also, the heat during maturityresulted in some problems in peas, more specif-ically with green seed being present in yellowvarieties and some bleached seed in green vari-eties. Also keep in mind that the very hot condi-tions at harvest meant that seed moisture rap-idly dropped below recommended levels andseed was subject to mechanical damage, whichcan further reduce germination levels.

There will begood quality,disease-freepulse seed available forspring seeding.

in brief

by Penny Pearseseed quality

GoodQuality Seedfor Spring Planting

Ascochyta fungus growing from infectedseed planted during aseed test.

PHOTO BY SASKATCHEWAN AGRICULTURE


The good news is that there were fewseed-borne disease issues in pulse seed pro-duced in 2007. Reports from commercial seedtesting laboratories across the province indi-cate that seed-borne disease levels are low. Labresults are compiled annually and submitted tothe Canadian Plant Disease Survey (availableonline at: http://www.cps-scp.ca/cpds.htm).

The preliminary results from commerciallabs indicate that pea seed from the 2007 sea-son had a provincial average of 1.5% seed-borne ascochyta infection and 39% of sampleswere disease-free. Chickpea seed had a provin-cial average of 0.8% seed-borne ascochytainfection and 48% of samples were disease-free. Lentil seed had an average of 0.2% seed-borne ascochyta infection and 89% of sampleswere disease-free. There were only negligiblelevels of seed-borne anthracnose found inlentil samples. These values are very similarto 2006 and 2003, which were also dry yearswith few pulse disease issues.

Remember that these provincial averagescan disguise a wide range of seed-borne infec-

tion. The growing conditions and exposure todisease is unique for each field and that iswhy it is important to have your own seedtested if you are unsure about seed quality.

According to commercial labs, germina-tion and vigour tests for pulse crops were alsoconsidered very good overall. However, if yoususpect that heat affected seed maturity, it isimportant to take a closer look at germinationand perhaps have a vigour test conducted.Having these tests conducted in the spring,prior to planting, will reveal if there was a fur-ther drop in seed quality in the bin during thewinter.

Treating seed with a fungicide seed treat-ment will help protect against seed rot andseedling blight caused by seed-borne and soil-borne diseases. However seed treatments willonly protect the natural viability of the seed – itwill not ‘cure’ a seed lot that has poor vigour orvery high levels of seed-borne disease. Alsokeep in mind that good coverage of the fungi-cide over the entire seed coat is necessary toensure that the treatment will be most effective.

For 2008, there should be sufficient levelsof good quality, disease-free pulse seed avail-able for planting this spring. Remain diligentin sourcing seed and use the best quality seedavailable.

For more information about seed testingand for a list of commercial seed testing labs inthe province, go to: www.seedanalysts.com.

For recommendations on safe levels ofseed-borne diseases for planting, go to:www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca and search for“Guidelines for Seed-borne Diseases of PulseCrops” or contact the Ag Knowledge Centreat: 1-866-457-2377 or [email protected].

Penny Pearse is the Provincial Plant Disease Specialist withthe Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture in Regina, SK.

seed quality

If planted in the field,infected seed can resultin root infections.

PHOTO BY SASKATCHEWAN AGRICULTURE

Always read and follow label directions. AgSolutions and ODYSSEY are registered trademarks and GrowForward is a trademark of BASF. © 2008 BASF Canada Inc.

Got a grassy headache?Apply once to relieve pressure.Ask your retailer or visit www.agsolutions.ca to learn how you can save on ODYSSEY® DLX with Rewards.


Saskatchewan is the world’snumber one exporter of red lentils. About 10years ago, we started growing the varietyCrimson, and though memory fades, it maystill make some people see red. Since thosedays, more research and development hasgone into the red lentil crop for a very goodreason – they are not green lentils!

In many ways, red lentil should be consid-ered a completely different crop compared togreen lentil. First of all, about 80% of theworld’s lentils are red cotyledon – mostly usedin soups and stews. Secondly, about 95% of theworld’s red lentils are eaten after the seed coatis removed, resulting in either splits or wholedehulled lentils (called footballs) that cookvery quickly, about the same time that it takesto prepare milled rice. Thirdly, the world’s sup-ply and demand (and therefore, price) is deter-mined by four production regions, each har-vested about three months apart. Our cropsare harvested in August-September, followedby the Australian crop which is harvestedNovember-January (mostly Victoria & SouthAustralia), then by the South Asia crop (India,Bangladesh, Nepal) in February-March, fol-lowed by the Turkish/Syrian crop in May-June.

Five years ago, when we first had signifi-cant quantities of red lentils to ship to millersoverseas, we ran into trouble. Our red lentilshad a higher moisture content compared toother suppliers, and as a result the seed coatswere more difficult to remove. This is really amade-in-Canada problem. In all three of theother major export regions, lentil crops aresown in the fall/winter and then harvested at

the leading edge of a very hot and dry summer.We usually harvest our crops when tempera-tures are falling, when morning dews are start-ing to appear, and when late summer/early fallrains present a significant threat to a timelyand quality harvest.

Another factor is that our lentil productiontechniques were based on producing greenlentils, where the objective was to keep themoisture at 14% so that the seed coat stayedon. At lower moisture, grain handling causedthe seed coats to chip on the edges and someof the seed coats were removed, resulting in adiscounted price based on quality. For redlentil, we want the seed coat to be removedeasily. Keeping the seed moisture at 14% result-ed in frustrated millers. Their frustration ulti-mately led to a discounted price based onmilling quality. Significant commercial problemsusually lead to questions that can be answeredby research. In this case, we asked “what is theeffect of our made-in-Canada lentil agronomy onthe milling quality of our red lentils?”

One of the tools in Saskatchewan lentilproduction is pre-harvest treatment, eitherswathing or desiccating, used to speed up har-vest operations by reducing seed moisturecontent more quickly and in some cases todeal with weed problems at harvest. We start-ed a research project about three years ago toinvestigate the effect of pre-harvest treat-ments on the milling quality of our currentand future red lentil varieties. We grew eightred lentil varieties at two locations in the sum-mers of 2005 and 2006 at Rouleau, SK. and atFloral, SK. The varieties, in order of increasing

Producinglentils with the best qualityfor milling willprovide the best return oninvestment.

by Bert Vandenberg and Jesse Bruce

in brief

Producing Better Quality Red Lentils

lentil research


seed size, were CDC Robin, CDC Imperial CL, CDC Rosetown,CDC Blaze, CDC Impact CL, CDC Rouleau, CDC Redberry andthe newest one, CDC Red Rider.

Replicated plots of each variety received pre-harvesttreatments as follows: swathing at early, recommended (bot-tom third of the plants at the pod rattle stage) or late stagesof maturity; desiccation with Reglone at early, recommended,and late stages. Seed samples of two complete sets of repli-cated treatments were cleaned and sized over roundhole andslotted screens and the two most common fractions on eachtype of screen were retained. These samples were stored sothat seeds eventually had 12.5% moisture, which is consid-ered the ideal moisture content for milling red lentils accord-ing to research conducted by Dr. Ning Wang at the GrainResearch Laboratory in Winnipeg. The samples were passedthrough both a Satake laboratory dehuller and a Turkishtable top dehuller. The milled lentil samples were assessedfor three specific measures of milling quality:

(1) Milling Efficiency = % Split and unsplit cotyledons of totalsample (seed coat, flour, some embryos, chips removed)(2) Dehulling Efficiency = % of cotyledons with complete (> 98%) seed coat removed by dehuller(3) Football Recovery = % of #1 with unsplit cotyledons thatare dehulled (more valuable fraction)

Three of the four sites (Rouleau 2005 and 2006, Floral2006) had ideal harvest conditions – warm, sunny weatherall through harvest, and the milling results were similar at allthree. The 2005 site at Floral had unfavourable weather priorto harvest – high humidity and intermittent rainfall allthrough harvest and early September.

It is important to keep in mind the following rules ofthumb for milling efficiency:• Commercial mills are not economical if milling efficiency is

lower than 80%.• The theoretical maximum milling efficiency is about 92%

(complete dehulling, no splitting – all the seed coat isremoved).

• Millers would be very happy if they could maintain 85%milling efficiency.

Here is a summary of the results for pre-harvest effectsof the timing of swathing and desiccation.

Milling Efficiency – in the three environments withgood harvest conditions, there was no effect of swathing ordesiccation timing on milling efficiency, which was always inthe 85-90% range. Variety effects were statistically significantbut very small – almost all varieties were in the 85-90% rangefor milling efficiency, with a tendency for small-seeded typeslike CDC Robin and CDC Imperial CL to have slightly lowermilling efficiency. The situation was completely differentunder cool wet harvest conditions. Early desiccation signifi-cantly reduced milling efficiency to below 70%. In contrast,early swathing resulted in milling efficiency above 85%. Allother pre-harvest treatments had milling efficiency just

lentil research

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below 80%. Significant variety effects werealso evident. CDC Robin and CDC Imperial CLwere around 74% milling efficiency, while allthe other varieties were in the 78-82% range.

Dehulling Efficiency – results fordehulling efficiency were very similar to thosefor milling efficiency. Under good harvest con-ditions, 97.3-99.9% of the seed coats wereremoved with no effect of pre-harvest treat-ment and a very slight difference among vari-eties. When harvest was cool and wet therange of dehulling efficiency dropped to 91.5from 98.7%. Early desiccation was worse thanall other pre-harvest treatments, with only90.5% seed coat removal, and early swathingwas the best at 98.8%. Once again, the varietieswith the smallest seeds, CDC Robin (92.1%)and CDC Imperial CL (91.5%) had significantlylower dehulling efficiency compared to allother varieties in the cool, wet harvest year.

Football Recovery Percent – samples ofdehulled split red lentils (footballs) appearmore uniform than mixtures with splits, plusthe embryo is retained so the milling recoveryis a little higher. In general, this means sampleswith high recovery of footballs are worth more.Under ideal harvest conditions, all pre-harvesttreatments milled with the Satake dehullerresulted in about 80% of the sample in the formof footballs. Varieties significantly differed fromeach other. Small-seeded varieties producedsamples with 88% football recovery or more,while CDC Red Rider produced samples withfootball recovery around 60%. CDC Rosetownconsistently produced the highest percent offootballs. The differences between varietieswere largely due to differences in seed diameterand seed thickness, as the mill was run at onesetting only. When harvest was cool and wet,the percent football recovery dropped from anoverall 80% to about 50%. The wetting and dry-ing cycles of intermittent rains caused severereduction in football recovery. The most effec-tive treatment was early swathing and differ-ences from variety to variety were similar whenharvest conditions were good, with small-seed-ed types producing higher football recovery.

Which mill did a better job? The Satakemill produced milling results closer to theirtheoretical potential for all commercial millingparameters, but the results were always high-ly correlated with those from the Turkish mill.We did not adjust the mill from variety to vari-ety, so this tended to cause large-seeded typesto break up more. In a commercial scenario,adjustments would be made for seed size.

The Bottom Line:1. Desiccating too early with Reglone can cause

severe loss of milling quality as measured byall three parameters – especially in years withcool wet weather. Be careful on the timing.Under cool, wet conditions, early swathingresulted in better than average quality.

2. Small-seeded varieties are more prone to allthree types of milling quality losses due topoor weather during harvest. They alsohave the highest recovery of footballs and aslightly lower milling efficiency in good har-vest conditions and therefore the premiumfor them is justifiable.

3. Harvesting red lentils on time during goodharvest weather is always beneficial from aquality standpoint, so use all the techniquesavailable to get your crop off on time withthe highest potential quality, including earlyseeding, good weed control and using rec-ommended timing windows for swathing ordesiccation.

4. Growers and millers will become moreknowledgeable about some of the uniquered lentil milling quality concerns inSaskatchewan. It seems logical that someday we can expect milling quality assess-ments to become the basis for negotiatingfinal values for red lentils.

Growers should consider how to producered lentils with the best quality for milling.This will provide the best returns, and helpour industry develop a reliable reputation forquality around the world.

Bert Vandenberg is a Plant Breeder at the University ofSaskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre. Jesse Bruceis an M.Sc. student in the Plant Sciences Dept. at theUniversity of Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan is theleading producer andexporter of lentils, peas and chickpeas.

lentil research

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CLEARFIELD Lentils Eliminate Weeds and Put the Focus on Yield

One-pass weed controlGrowers who tried CLEARFIELD lentils for the fi rst

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CLEARFIELD lentils are tolerant to CLEARFIELD

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With CLEARFIELD lentils, growers now have three

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Helping lentils reach new heightsBased on BASF fi eld trials and grower experience,

CLEARFIELD lentils will continue to make their mark

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For more information call AgSolutions®

by BASF at 1-877-371-BASF (2273) or

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Always read and follow label directions.

AgSolutions, CHARTER, CLEARFIELD, the UNIQUE CLEARFIELD

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produced exceptionally clean fi elds and strong

yields – his 2007 yields were 33 and 34 bushels

per acre, respectively, for his CDC Impact and CDC

Imperial crops.

For 2008, three CLEARFIELD lentil varieties will be

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Growers can access CLEARFIELD lentil seed in three

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Scott Chapman


2007 Investment Tax Credit Producers who contribute pulse check-off toSPG are eligible to earn an investment taxcredit through the Scientific Research andExperimental Development (SR&ED) program.The tax credit is based on check-off fundsspent on research and development that meetspecific criteria set out by the CanadaRevenue Agency.

For the 2007 tax year, 40% of the Saskatchewanpulse check-off qualifies for the SR&ED taxcredit.

Producers can calculate their total check-offcontribution by referring to their pulse salesreceipts, which show the check-off allocation.To claim the credit, producers must file aT2038 (IND) for farm proprietorships or aT2SCH31 for farm corporations.

All check-off investment tax credit appliedagainst taxes payable, or refunded, must bereported by the producer as income in thesubsequent year.

For more information on the process of claiming the tax credit, please consult youraccountant or visit the Canada RevenueAgency website at: www.cra-arc.gc.ca/taxcredit/sred/publications/check-e.html

Positions Filled on SPG Board This January, SPG wel-comed Jeff Sopatyk to theBoard of Directors. Jeffand his wife Patti operateSopatyk Seed Farms in theSaskatoon area. They farm6,000 acres of pedigreedseed peas, lentils, chick-peas, canola, barley,wheat, and hemp. Jeff hasa diploma from the Schoolof Agriculture at theUniversity of Saskatchewan and attended anadditional two years in the College ofAgriculture.

Jeff is actively involved as shareholder and

Director of Saskcan Horizon Seed Processorsin Aberdeen. He has also served as a directorfor Farm Pure Seeds. Jeff is a Select seed grow-er and has participated in the SPG VarietyRelease Program.

John Bennett was re-elected by acclamation to the SPG Board for another term. John has farmed in the Biggar area for more than 30 years. He has a no-till operation growing pulses, oilseeds and cereals.

Annual Report Now Available The 2006-2007 SPGAnnual Report isnow available inelectronic and printformat. To down-load a copy, pleasevisit our website atwww.saskpulse.com.

To receive a copyby mail, please con-tact the SPG office by telephone, 306-668-0350or send an email to [email protected].

SPG Scholarship Winners The winner of the 2007 Don Jaques MemorialPost-Graduate Fellowship is LasanthaUbayasena, a PhD studentat the University ofSaskatchewan (U of S).The fellowship was estab-lished to recognize andsupport outstanding aca-demic achievement andresearch in pulse crops.The award is named tocommemorate the manyyears of service by DonJaques, who administeredSPG from the organization’s inception in 1984until his tragic death in 1997.

The winner of the A.E. Slinkard Post-GraduateScholarship is Aziz Rehman, also a PhD studentat the U of S. The scholarship is an acknowl-edgment of the outstanding contributions

on point

For more information about SPG activities, please call 306-668-5556

or email [email protected] or visit our website at www.saskpulse.com.

News from and aboutSaskatchewanPulse Growers(SPG).

in brief

Jeff Sopatyk

Lasantha Ubayasena Aziz Rehman

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made to pulse research and extension by Dr. AlSlinkard, Professor Emeritus at the U of S.

Both winners were recognized during theAwards Program at Pulse Days 2008.

Student Winners at Research Poster SessionCongratulations to the winners of the 2008Pulse Days Research Poster Session. The student posters were judged by category andthe winners were each awarded $500.Agronomy: Leah FedorukBreeding: Mohammad TahirValue Added Processing: Heather Maskus

Leah Fedoruk presented her poster“Optimizing Weed Control Method and Timingfor Lentil” in the Agronomy category.

Mohammad Tahir presented his poster“Analysis of Varietal and Environmental Effectson Soluble Carbohydrates in Lentil Seeds (Lensculinaris Medikus subsp. Culinaris)” in theBreeding category.

Heather Maskus presented her poster“Utilization of Dry Field Pea Flour in Tortillasfor Food Use Purposes” in the Value AddedProcessing category.

SPG would like to thank all of those who par-ticipated in the Research Poster Session.

Pulses Take Top Prize at Seed ShowsFast Seed Farm of Kindersley won the PremierExhibitor title and Top Exhibit in the lentils-chickpeas-beans class at theCanadian WesternAgribition with theirsample of CDC Impact,which was also namedthe Grand AggregatePulse Crop entry.Ostafie’s Seed Farm ofCanora was awarded the GrandChampion Pulse for their sample of Camrygreen field peas at the 2008 Seager WheelerSeed Show in January. The Ostafie’s were alsoawarded the Premier Exhibitor Award.

Pulse Research Project Receives NSERC FundingA research project approved for funding by SPGhas also been approved by NSERC for collabora-tion and will be receiving matching funds fromNSERC. The pulse breeding project, under thedirection of Dr. Tom Warkentin at the CropDevelopment Centre is studying the bioavailabili-ty of phosphorus and micronutrients through thedevelopment of a low phytate-phosphorus pea

Changes in the Pulse IndustryLakeside Global Grains Inc. has plans to buythe land, building and equipment that Can-India Pulses International currently operatesat Zealandia, SK. Can-India will retain its newsplitting plant on the eastern portion of thesite. Lakeside Global Grains operates its ownprocessing facility at Dafoe.

Roy Legumex Inc. of Manitoba recentlyannounced the acquisition of Regina SeedProcessors at Richardson, SK. This past sum-mer, Roy Legumex also took over SabourinSeeds in Manitoba. Roy Legumex Inc. processesand exports pulses from Saskatchewan andManitoba, but this will be the first time the com-pany will own a facility in Saskatchewan. Theyhave been operating for more than 60 years.

Philom Bios Inc. is officially operating asNovozymes BioAg. Philom Bios was acquired bythe Virginia based company in December.Philom Bios is a world leadinginoculant company headquar-tered in Saskatoon. President ofPhilom Bios, Calvin Sonntagbelieves the sale is a positivedevelopment for the company’s future growth.The inoculant company will become the corner-stone of Novozymes BioAgriculture business.

Pulse Cookbooks On Sale!SPG is selling The Amazing Legume cookbookfor only $5 each (plus shipping and handling).This cookbook features many tasty and nutri-tious pulse recipes. To purchase a copy,please contact Rachel Kehrig at 306-668-9988or [email protected].

on point

For more information about SPG activities, please call 306-668-5556

or email [email protected] or visit our website at www.saskpulse.com.

News from and aboutSaskatchewanPulse Growers(SPG).

in brief


When producers set up theSaskatchewan Pulse Growers Board in 1984,funding pulse research was a top priority. Thiscontinues to be the case today, with betweenone-half and two-thirds of the annual pulsecheck-off invested in research. Pulse produc-ers receive $15.60 in benefits for every $1 ofpulse check-off paid. These benefits accruethrough better varieties and new agronomicinformation.

Saskatchewan is now one of the fewregions in the world where pulse productionis increasing. Pulse production is declining inIndia and Turkey, two traditional productionregions. A major contributing factor has beenlow investment in pulse research relative toother crops, resulting in lower returns for pro-ducers compared to other higher yielding andhigher value crops.

When the SPG Board increased the pulsecheck-off rate in 2003, we committed to increas-ing our research investments. Currently, we arefunding 20 genetic improvement projects, 16agronomy projects, 27 value added processingprojects, and two scholarships, for a totalplanned expenditure of $3.6 million in our cur-rent budget year. At the time of writing, addi-tional research projects are being evaluated.

A complete list of current research projects is available on our website atwww.saskpulse.com and a list of previousresearch projects can be found in our pastAnnual Reports. The pulse check-off has givenpulse producers the ability to target researchthat is important to them.

Our most strategic research investment isour 15-year, $21 million pulse breeding agree-ment with the Crop Development Centre (CDC)at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S).

Through our unique commercializationagreement with the CDC, SPG has exclusiveglobal distribution rights for pulse varieties

developed by the CDC (Clearfield lentils are adistinct situation with some restrictions). SPGhas used this opportunity to develop a VarietyRelease Program (VRP) to provide producerswith unrestricted royalty-free access to newpulse varieties. Over the past twelve yearsthis program has successfully commercialized64 new pulse varieties. Other agricultureorganizations are now studying our model,with interest in how producers have remainedin control of the commercialization of newvarieties.

SPG has also developed a niche release,royalty-based commercialization program pro-viding pulse companies with the opportunityto obtain exclusive commercial licenses tonew specialty pulse types that require aclosed-loop, identity preservation system todevelop end-use markets.

A new area of research funding for SPGhas been in new uses for Saskatchewan grownpulses, such as the project by Dr. PhilChilibeck at the U of S who is studying howlentils can improve the performance of soccerplayers. Undoubtedly, SPG is funding manyresearch projects to find new uses for pulses.

We will continue to search out new oppor-tunities to invest in research that willstrengthen the competitive advantage ofSaskatchewan pulse producers and increasedemand for our production. India is thelargest producer and consumer of pulses inthe world, however they are increasinglybecoming more reliant on pulse imports fromCanada. What type of research is required tofully benefit from this trend?

Pulse research is a long-term commit-ment. Producers are now benefiting fromresearch investments from pulse check-offdeductions over the past two decades. Ourinvestments today will provide benefits forthe decades to come.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Garth Patterson

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH

Dr. Kofi Agblor

COMMERCIAL MANAGER

Allison Fletcher

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Amanda Olekson

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Rachel Kehrig

CONTROLLER

Helen Baumgartner

ACCOUNTING CLERK

Melanie Goring (on leave)

RECORDS ADMINISTRATOR

Shelly Weber

DATA ENTRY CLERK

Amy Cosgrove

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Jennifer Saunders

CONTACT US

104 - 411 Downey Road

Saskatoon, SK S7N 4L8

Tel (306) 668-5556

Fax (306) 668-5557

[email protected]

www.saskpulse.com

the team

closing thoughts

Garth PattersonExecutive Director

R & D Continues as Top Funding Priority

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Documents

Canadian Publication Mail Agreement 40021625 Full Tilt …saskpulse.com/files/mags/pp_march_2008.pdf · Canadian Publication Mail Agreement 40021625. ... Greg Cherewyk, Mark Goodwin,