This article appeared in the Summer 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

The pulse industry has exhibited significant growth over the past 25 years, and much of that success is due to the investment in research and development that enables Alberta growers to address the issues and challenges that arise.

In 1989, grower investment was used primarily to showcase on-farm demonstrations, but the collection of producer service fees, or check-off, was already being conceived as a way to ensure market development and research were key priorities for the organization.

Craig Shaw, a Lacombe area producer and inaugural Vice President of the newly formed Alberta Pulse Growers Commission in 1989, led reporting to the Commission board on pulse research and development at the time.

“The regional pea trials from 1988- 1992 showed that we had over a 50 per cent increase in yield and a reduction in maturity of around 10 days for the newer varieties compared to what we had available in mid 1980s,” he said. “I would suggest that is pretty remarkable and not likely ever seen in any other crop. We probably had another yield jump over the next three to five years and then increases became more normal in their annual yield increases. It’s easy to forget where we have come from.”

Shaw recalled planting his first pea crop in 1984 to feed to his brother’s hogs. His belief in pulses as an essential part of crop rotation continues to this day as he tends to a crop of faba beans this year.

In the beginning, Alberta farmers had limited choice in the variety of pulses that could be successfully harvested here.

“The big push was to get newer and better varieties suited to our conditions,” Shaw said. “A lot of us saw good potential there, but it was frustrating trying to convince everyone else. The Europeans were already ahead of us, and it was a concerted effort to get the Europeans interested in our market. We set up screening trials to test those genetics in our conditions. It was an exciting time to get the industry off the ground.”

Shaw recalled that pulses were still considered a minor crop 25 years ago, and some growers were concerned that if too many acres were planted with pulses that it would destroy the market. They need not have worried.

“It was always amazing that the more we produced, the market was always there to absorb what we produced,” he said. “The feed market drove us for a while, and with maturity moved into the human consumption market.”

Shaw said that it is interesting that in the beginning, APG relied primarily on the federal and provincial governments for research funding, and now the commissions are considered a source of funding for research projects.

APG’s research focus in the past is similar to today’s research priorities

In 1993, the areas of research focus were: varietal development, disease control, agronomics (weed control, fertility, seeding rates and methods, inoculation effectiveness, rotational alternatives), marketing and extension. In 2012-13, APG adopted a research and development strategy which focuses on agronomic advancement (genetic improvement and production improvement: disease and pest control, nutrient update, disease progression and monitoring, evaluation of production tools and extension) and marketing opportunity (nutritional characteristics, fractions and flours, health benefits and health claims and new product development).

Today, the APG research committee is chaired by Robert Weisgerber, a pulse grower from Schuler, who has been active with the organization for more than three years. Weisgerber feels that research is critical to deal with issues and explore new opportunities.

“An example of APG supporting our research priorities in the area of evaluation of new production tools is our investment with other grower organizations on the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) to test crop scouting capacity,” he said. “Technology has been developing so quickly that these new methods supporting our agronomic practices are cutting edge now, but will be commonplace in the future, much like the practices of reduced tillage or the use of GPS technology is today.”

Leverage has always been a goal

Opportunities to leverage funding over the past 25 years have come through many groups such as the Alberta Agriculture Research Institute (AARI), Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF), Agriculture and Food Council’s programs – Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food program (ACAAF) and the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), as well as the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF). APG has also leveraged funding directly from governments through the Agri-Science Clusters and Growing Forward programs, as well as leveraging funding from other crop and pulse grower organizations. The leverage of resources has been critical to moving APG research and development agenda forward.

Since 2009, APG has committed $2.8 million in support for research activities and managed to leverage that funding against $25.5 million. For every dollar that APG growers have invested in research during these past five years there has been $11 of other funding support to match.

Richard Krikke, APG’s current President, is pleased with the organization’s ability to stretch producer dollars.

“We look to leverage our investment with our partners whether they are with other crop commissions in Alberta, or across Canada with our fellow pulse grower organizations,” Krikke said. “Our investments in research benefit many, and leverage opportunities are valuable for everyone.”

APG’s leverage ratio of Pulse Grower funding to other funding sources over the past five years is 11%

Former APG President, Lud Prudek, who led the 1989 Commission’s vision for sustaining research to assist the pulse industry, has had his comments hold true over the past 25 years. He told the following to delegates at the 1990 APGC AGM: “Our commitment to research and extension is perpetual. We believe this is vital to the strength of our industry and must be sustained.”

A quarter of a century later, APG remains committed to building on the momentum of the first 25 years.

“When you have crops, you’re always looking at what are the market opportunities and what can we do to fulfill segments of the marketplace,” Shaw said. “I don’t know if anybody ever thought we would be as big a player as we are. It’s a pretty substantial industry now.”

The perpetual commitment to research for APG continues as a primary objective of the organization from yesterday, today and into the future.

This article appeared in the Summer 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Leanne Fischbuch, Executive Director

Pulse crops are in the ground and growers’ thoughts are headed to monitoring for disease and pests, and maybe a camping trip to the lake with the family. While summer may include vacation for some, this is one of the busiest times for Alberta Pulse Growers staff. We are planning APG’s crop tour schedule and travelling across the province to visit demonstration plots, regional variety trials, and share information with growers. This is one of the most valuable ways that we interact with the growers and learn about their concerns. When you see the Alberta Pulse logo shirts identifying the staff, say “Hi” and tell us about your pulse crop – we’d love to hear about it.

This year, APG is anticipating more than one million acres of pulses again and we know there are producers growing pulse crops for the first time. We’d like to encourage experienced pulse producers to share wisdom about the crop with newer growers. Your knowledge and familiarity with pulse crops will help with questions from beginner growers and help to improve their confidence and understanding about their pulse crop experience. Passing on the knowledge is a way to build the industry, so please do your part.

In addition to APG staff being out crop walking and sharing knowledge at this time of the year, in the Summer Pulse Crop News (PCN) issue APG is revealing information about crop scouting and very important information about maximum residue limits (MRL). Crop scouting for disease is something that must be done with an eye to economics, and producers must consider when it is still profitable to apply controls. With MRLs, APG cannot stress enough the importance of knowing your market and knowing the MRL limits when producers are preparing to do pre-harvest management.

A key piece of information outlines our latest knowledge around market access and MRL restrictions for the current crop year on page 14. Staying connected to us will be important, and as the regulatory environment changes on MRLs we will also be ‘Tweeting’ updates through @APGSydney and @AlbertaPulse.

Getting involved with APG as a Commissioner can help a grower fully appreciate the scope and impact our industry has around the globe. Growers often don’t think of the rest of the world outside of our borders. Vice President Allison Ammeter had the opportunity in May to attend the international pulse convention – CICILS IPTIC – and reports back to the membership on her experience and the impression she now has about the pulse industry and its global trade on page 33.

The Summer PCN also focuses on research. Investment into research is one of the highest priority activities that APG does for our growers. Brief summaries of our research projects are provided on pages 24 through 32. This showcases agronomic research, pulse breeding, marketing projects and demonstration investment that APG has partnered on and supported. Our research investments have been substantial over the past five years where every dollar that is invested from growers is matched by 11 others from our various partners. Twenty-five years ago when APG became a Commission it was a bit of a different story. One of the early Vice Presidents of APG (and Chair of the Research Committee at the time), Craig Shaw, shared his take on research then and now and I am happy to report that APG is continuing to build on grower investment for the benefit of the industry and address many pressing questions from both yesterday and today.

Priority discussions on transportation continue and Bill C-30 the Fair Rail for Farmers Act has progressed through Parliament. UPOV’91 information is also shared with growers in this issue. APG stands with other grower groups supporting the ratification of the policy and we remain actively involved on many fronts sharing information with key stakeholders and supporting the work of Pulse Canada and Grain Growers of Canada to move these important issues forward.

Coming to a field near you, APG staff are looking forward to visiting with growers and the trade as we traverse Alberta’s highways. Have a terrific summer.

This article appeared in the Summer 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Richard Krikke, APG President

I was pleased to learn that the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act (Bill C-30) had been passed recently as it promises to expedite the movement of agricultural products and other commodities to market.

This development is certainly a step in the right direction because Canada’s agricultural industry could not bear the burden of being unable to move ag products for much longer. However, many specialty crop producers are concerned about whether the legislation will benefit them in getting their crops to market.

APG, along with pulse grower organizations across the country, recognized the need for improved transportation system performance nine years ago, and made significant investments of our producer check-off dollars in Pulse Canada’s work on the transportation issue on behalf of the pulse industry. Canada’s pulse industry is now viewed as a national leader in this area and has been successful in uniting shippers of other products to address shortcomings in our rail system.

APG continues to work with Pulse Canada to ensure that specialty crops like pulses are not left out from hauling. As a result of investment by APG’s levy payers, Pulse Canada was the only shipper group in the country to develop a service level agreement based on industry recommendations and promote the package to the Rail Freight Service Review Panel. In the last year, APG check-off money has also helped fund a Pulse Canada project to develop a rail forecasting and performance measurement program.

APG Vice President Allison Ammeter, as well as Commissioners D’Arcy Hilgartner and Nick Sekulic, attended the announcement regarding the passage of the rail logistics legislation by Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz near Fort Saskatchewan, AB on May 30.

According to an Agriculture and AgriFood Canada news release, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act does the following:

• Requires rail companies to move one million tonnes of grain every week through to August 3, 2014, extending the volume requirements under the Order in Council that was announced on March 7.
• Gives shippers in the three Prairie provinces more rail options by extending interswitching rights through regulations to 160 kilometres for all commodities.
• Strengthens accountability between shippers and the railways and strengthens farmers’ contracts with grain companies.
• Allows shippers to be directly compensated for any expenses they incur as a result of the railways’ failure to meet their level of service obligations under the Canada Transportation Act.

The progress made to date that resulted in Bill C-30 coming into force is the outcome of many agricultural industry associations across the country making transportation a top priority and working toward positive change. It was encouraging to see so many groups working toward a common goal, and I hope everyone will continue to keep this issue at the forefront until it is resolved.

While the passage of the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act was a good start toward moving crops to market in a more predictable way and alleviating some of the backlog, we are not out of the woods yet. APG and other ag groups must continue to focus attention on this issue until the backlog of crops is alleviated for producers of all ag products and commodities across Canada.

This is especially important as long-term solutions to rail transportation issues are discussed starting this summer as a result of the federal government accelerating the review of the Canada Transportation Act. APG will continue to utilize grower funds and represent the interests of our members through Pulse Canada by working toward a long-term solution to this important issue.

As Alberta Pulse Growers’ official magazine, Pulse Crop News is sent quarterly to 6,000 pulse producers and industry stakeholders in Alberta and across the country. In-depth articles combine with industry news to create a well-written publication that is relevant and timely both for pulse crop growers and industry representatives.

This article appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

What is Mission: ImPULSEible? It is an annual national culinary challenge for post-secondary students. This year teams were given a mission to develop a wholesome & delicious snack food for kids using Canadian pulses AND to promote how the product provides nutritious solutions to consumers and industry. Students checked criteria, recruited a team, developed an awesome food product, and submitted an amazing video.

Peas, beans, lentils and/or chickpeas (whole pulses, flours, starches, fibres, proteins) were required to be major ingredients in the product. Teams also had to include proposed packaging of the product and nutritional information with bonus points awarded for including a majority of Canadian ingredients.

This year, six teams participated for the chance to represent Alberta at the national competition. The teams submitted unique and delicious samples for the judges and guests to try in Ernest’s Dining Room at NAIT’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. Judges included Jay Han (Food Scientist, Food Processing and Development Centre), Grace Hubert (Registered Dietitian), Kevin Johnson (Grocery Director, Freson Bros.) and Elizabeth Muir (Value-Added Director, Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions). Judges evaluated sensory attributes, health and nutrition, product promotion and overall presentation.

In addition to the competition, Landra Hills and Jenn Patrick, highlighted the use of pulses in their work with Alberta Project Promoting active Living and healthy Eating (APPLE) Schools an organization that provides nutritional and physical education information to schools. They look for ways to make healthier eating fun and creative such as using games, gardens and cooking classes. APPLE Schools’ mission is that they will empower school communities to make the healthy choice the easy choice.

The competition was fierce but in the end, Pulse Pops won the first prize of $1,500. Pulse Pops were created by U of A students Stacey Seufert, Anastassia Astrakhantseva, Diana Nguyen, and Christie Cheng. These delicious handy snacks on a stick were made using chickpeas with peanut butter and were coated with a mix of chocolate and black beans. The winning team also is given the opportunity to work with the Food Processing Development Centre to scale up their creation.

Second place went to Besan Bites which were a crispy pretzel-like cracker made with chickpea flour created by NAIT culinary students Emily Berthelot and Kari Marchand. Third place went to Chocofruitter Cookie, a watermelon shaped cookie made with chickpea flour, served by U of A students Kaixing Tang, Aoran Liu, Yao Qian and Qiyun Liang. The People’s Choice Award was voted for online by approximately 60 attendees at the event and was also awarded to the Pulse Pops team.

‘Delicious’ honorable mentions are the Dalroghee (fusion perogy made with chickpea flour), Healthy Pulse Chicken Pot Pie (pea and chickpea flours in the crust and kidney beans, split peas and green lentils in the filling) and Tip Tops Pea Butter Cups (nut free alternative to peanut butter cups with pea flour).

Debra McLennan, the Alberta Pulse Growers Coordinator for the event commented, “I had a great time with Mission ImPULSEible and I felt that the event exceeded my expectations, in my own humble and unbiased opinion as the coordinator! I thought the caliber of products was outstanding this year and I was very pleased that all the products developed by the students tasted really nice and that any product could have been the winner based on just taste and presentation alone.”

McLennan noted that one of the highlights for the event was the presentation from APPLE Schools; “I was really pleased to be able to link the active youth part of Mission ImPULSEible to a program here in Alberta that is also focusing on creating healthy active youth. It was nice to see the positive response from the audience to APPLE Schools and both guest speakers were thrilled to be able to connect with other organizations and develop even more partnerships for the future.”

The event provided a great opportunity to try some interesting foods and network with industry members and students. Thank you to everyone who made this event a success! For more information on Mission ImPULSEible or to view product videos, visit Pulse Canada’s website. Good luck to the 2014 Alberta winning team at the finals!

This article appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

The Pure Prairie Eating Plan was a project sponsored, in part, by the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission. It is an eating plan that has been developed in the form of a cookbook by Dr. Catherine Chan and Dr. Rhonda Bell who are both professors of Human Nutrition, at the University of Alberta.

The Pure Prairie Eating Plan hopes to improve nutrition and physical activity in people at risk of developing or currently diagnosed with diabetes. All proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to support future diabetes research.

The Pure Prairie eating plan features easy to prepare menus that use local ingredients that are commonly found on the prairies. It was developed in part by translating the recommendations of Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide and putting it into a four week meal plan.

The meal plan features three meals and snacks per day with grocery lists, cooking tips and information on specific ingredients are features in the recipes. Each day is broken down into suggested servings, number of servings, as well as nutrition information for the day. Substitutions are also commonly recommended making the dishes either lower in calories, higher in fibre, or with increased antioxidants. Often, vegetarian options are also often suggested.

“The Pure Prairie Eating plan is a Mediterranean themed eating plan developed for people who live in the Prairies,” said Dr. Catherine Chan. “The Mediterranean diet is focused around eating olive oil, lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains (including pulses). We thought we could translate this type of eating pattern into something that would utilize foods Albertans are more familiar with.”

One example of this is substituting olive oil with canola oil. Canola oil has the closest fatty acid profile to olive oil. There are other commonalities between a typical Mediterranean diet and that of the average Albertan diet. The grains and pulses that are consumed are largely the same and there is a good source of fruits and vegetables seasonally available in Alberta. Although prairie grown products were featured wherever possible, Chan acknowledges that in today’s reality importation of certain products has influenced consumer trends.

This project is heavily focused around people with Type 2 Diabetes. Dr. Chan explains “Lowering saturated fat and increasing fibre are two of the main recommendations of the Canadian Diabetes Association. There are between 25 and 50 grams of fibre consumed per day on average. As well, it is recommended that weekly averages of less than 7.5% of calories from saturated fats are consumed”.

The simple, easy to follow recipes ensure that one does not need to be a culinary master to follow this eating plan. “People who have purchased the book are finding out that they are much better cooks than they thought.” Additional segments also scattered throughout the book feature using spices to achieve flavour without increasing sodium content.

The Pure Prairie Eating Plan is now available at select local bookstores as well as Amazon. For more information, visit https://pureprairie.ca.

This article appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

SYSCO – You probably have seen the name on tractor trailer units travelling across Alberta but you never really noticed or thought about what or who SYSCO is? SYSCO is a leader in the foodservice sector in Canada and in the world and they are also a key part of getting food onto many Albertans’ plates.

Founded in 1969, and traded publically since 1970, SYSCO is the world’s largest food distributor and global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to a variety of clients. Those clients include restaurants, healthcare, educational facilities, lodging and other customers who prepare food away from home. Originally from the US, SYSCO has expanded into many locations across North America and they have two main locations in Alberta at Edmonton and Calgary.

So what do SYSCO and Alberta Pulse have in common? SYSCO representatives have seen The Pulse Potential! The Pulse Potential is the Canadian pulse industry’s institutional and food service recipe resource.

Alberta Pulse was invited to set up a trade show booth and spend the day sharing information with southern Alberta SYSCO clients at the ‘Stir in Goodness Food Expo’ – a SYSCO food show. Over 2000 clients were expected to wander through the trade show and taste, talk and purchase the latest and greatest new food products being introduced to the marketplace.

Companies ranging from Starbucks, to Kraft, Tyson Foods Inc. and Campbell’s were all present. In addition to the national and multinational presence there was also a local flavour with Heritage Frozen Foods Ltd. (perogies), Burnbrae Farms (eggs), Nossack (meat) and Wow Factor Desserts (cheesecake) and Alberta Pulse.

The APG Food and Nutrition booth was busy even without having food samples. Most of the people who stopped in to visit cooked for senior’s lodges, hospital and extended care, smaller mom and pop restaurateurs, camp cooks and even a few fine dining chef’s. APG distributed 25 packages of The Pulse Potential recipe folders and directed people to visit our website for other resources.

Once learning what a ‘pulse’ was the conversation usually turned to soups, summer salads and great chili recipes. There was a lot of interest in gluten-free cooking and chefs are noticing that the trend is growing with their customers. The variety in the Pulse Potential recipe book and the tantalizing photographs of the food helped attract people to the booth and helped start a great conversation. Having the exposure at the SYSCO show provide us an opportunity to really talk to the industry and discuss the healthy benefits of using pulses in food service and also discuss their cost effectiveness as an ingredient.

Overall, the opportunity to dialogue directly with influential purchasers and share information was a benefit. APG will be tracking the uptake and awareness on our website and we hope to see more pulses show up on a variety of menus. So, the next time you see a SYSCO truck travelling the highways, hopefully there will be more pulses on board heading to a food service restaurant closer to you.

This article appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Pulse Canada

Winnipeg (April 7, 2014) – A new meta-analysis of existing research shows that eating pulses (peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas) for at least three weeks significantly reduces LDL-cholesterol levels, which can lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.

A large group of researchers from Canadian and US universities and hospitals recently conducted a review and meta-analysis of 26 published feeding trials in an attempt to quantify the amount of pulses needed in the diet to impact specific heart disease related outcomes including LDL-cholesterol.

The average dose of pulses consumed in the studies was 130 grams or one serving per day, which is equal to about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of pulses. Pulse consumption lowered LDL-cholesterol levels by about 5%. This reduction translates to a 5 to 6% reduction in events like heart attack or stroke.

“Although most heart disease prevention guidelines recommend eating pulses as part of a healthy diet, there isn’t an exact amount recommended to achieve a specific benefit like lowering LDL-cholesterol,” says Dr. John Sievenpiper, lead researcher for the study. “With these results, we now have a recommended amount we can promote as having specific cardiovascular health benefits.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPeyFQ8P8Pg&feature=youtu.be

“There are many easy ways to add more pulses to your diet,” says Dr. Julianne Curran, Director of Nutrition, Science and Regulatory Affairs with Pulse Canada. “Pulses can be used for far more than soups and chilis. Lentil and bean purees are a great way to reduce fat and increase fiber and protein in baked goods. Snacks like hummus and crackers pack a serious punch by combining pulses and cereal grains to increase fiber and protein. And there are new products on supermarket shelves every day that include pulse ingredients.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWnAfNzuJA8&feature=youtu.be

A manuscript of the research, titled “The Effect of Dietary Pulses on Established Therapeutic Lipid Targets of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials” was published in the April 7, 2014 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The findings of this meta-analysis are consistent with those of another review commissioned last year by Pulse Canada on high quality studies specific to beans and cholesterol lowering. The study, funded by the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), critically evaluated a total of eight studies that met Health Canada’s criteria for health claims. Of these studies, 83% saw a beneficial effect on total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. The minimum effective dose of beans in these studies was 130 grams per day which is equal to ¾ cup or one serving according to Canada’s Food Guide.

“The power of pulses is remarkable. They are a low fat and low saturated fat source of protein, and contain high amounts of complex carbohydrates like fibre and resistant starch. As an added bonus, they have several vitamins and minerals that are important for body processes like iron, potassium, folate and other B vitamins,” says Dr. Curran.

Pulse Canada is the national association representing growers, traders and processors of Canadian pulse crops. Canada is the world’s largest supplier of pulses, with annual exports reaching more than 150 countries.

This article appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Chuck Penner, Leftfield Commodity Research

Now that nearly all the planting decisions have been made for 2014, we’re going to toss out some acreage forecasts and see what the implications could be. Of course, we write this knowing that StatsCan will be releasing its first survey-based estimates later in April.

Even though there is general agreement about the direction of the acreage changes, it’s also clear there are differing opinions about the size of the shifts. Readers should know that my typical bias is to be conservative in my acreage forecasts. It’s easy to get carried away by the “everybody’s planting X” or “nobody’s planting Y”, but experience has shown the anecdotal reports are often overstated. With that disclaimer, let’s get started.

We’re forecasting 2014 pea acreage to rise 16% to 3.8 million acres. That’s the most acres since 2008 and at the high end of recent years. Some people are expecting closer to 4.0 million acres and we can’t argue with that number either. When it comes to green peas, we’re forecasting a larger increase with possibly over 600,000 acres planted to greens this spring. Yellows will see a solid increase but not as much.

Despite the increase in acres, the 2014 pea crop could actually end up smaller than last year if yields return to the 5-year average of 36.3 bu/acre. And at this stage of the year, the best odds are for an average yield. A 3.6 million tonne crop would mean comfortable supplies for 2014/15, but not overly burdensome. There’s a little more danger of heavy supplies for greens.

Lots of people are talking about growing lentils this year, and most of the interest seems to be in reds. As a result, we’ve forecast a 21% increase in lentil acreage, with the vast majority of the increase going into red lentils. At 2.9 million acres, it would be the secondlargest acreage ever, while others are suggesting over 3.0 million acres are possible. Just like with peas, a return to average yields would offset the acreage increase and the 2014 lentil crop could potentially end up smaller than last year’s.

It’s a good thing that most of the acreage increase will go to red lentils, since that seems to be the strongest part of the global market right now. Based on the way 2013/14 exports are shaping up, we won’t be carrying a lot of lentils (particularly reds) into 2014/15 and that will keep next year’s supplies from becoming too heavy.

Forecasting chickpea acres is a bit of a shot in the dark. Even though posted bids are still profitable, farmers have experienced limited movement of chickpeas the last couple of years and that could discourage some plantings. Given that disclaimer, we’re projecting 2014 chickpea seeded area to drop by nearly one-quarter, to 150,000 acres. Even with that decline, North American chickpea supplies are still comfortable, and a smaller crop will provide only limited support for prices in 2014/15.

Dry bean seeded area will very likely expand. We are expecting acres to go up 23% to 335,000 acres, a similar sized increase to what the USDA just announced for south of the border. The largest gains will likely be seen for white beans, and that’s a good thing since that’s where the world market is the strongest. The carryover from the current marketing year will be very low so more acres won’t result in a burdensome supply situation.

As with most projections they are based upon the best information at hand at the time. Please note that StatsCan estimates will be published April 24, 2014.

Chuck Penner is the founder of LeftField Commodity Research. Chuck provides a bi-weekly report called Pulse Market Insight which is published by the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission through an electronic publication called Pulse Check. Growers can subscribe to it by contacting office@pulse.ab.ca. Funding for Pulse Market Insight is provided by the Government of Alberta through the Growing Forward 2 a federal, provincial, territorial partnership.

This article appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Pollinator politics – what is happening to all the bees? There are 7000 bee keepers in Canada operating 600,000 colonies of honeybees. The Prairie Provinces are responsible for between 80 and 85% of Canadian honey production with approximately 475,000 colonies residing in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In recent months honeybees have flown into the spot light. Widespread issues of an overall reduction of bee health and in many cases colony collapse has resulted in a concentrated effort by scientists to understand the underlying cause.

In April of 2013, the European Commission banned three insecticides used as seed treatments on corn, soybeans and canola because of a suspected link to bee health and potential link to colony collapse disorder. The banned products contain neonicotinoids, which are neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine. This class of chemicals was developed primarily because they showed reduced toxicity compared to preciously used insecticides. They are the first new class on insecticides introduced in the last 50 years and are the most widely used across the world.

This action by the European Commission came as a result of research that demonstrated an apparent connection between the uses of neonicotinoid insecticides causing a weakening of the immune system, resulting in higher susceptibility to viral infections.

Following the release of the decision by the European Commission, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a comprehensive report in May 2013. The report indicated that while the sub-lethal use of pesticides on honey bees are of great concern, they are only one factor in a larger equation.

According to Paul Thiel, Vice-President of Innovation and Public Affairs with Bayer CropScience, it is important to make the distinction between acute and chronic health issues when it comes to honey bees.

Recently in a Southern Ontario, an isolated group of bee keepers have been reported to have significant losses of bees due to the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in corn and soybeans. The mortality associated with this has been linked to dust created by moving treated seeds through precision planters. The resulting abrasion of the seeds creates a dust which, comprised of the pesticide, can then be lethal to insects that it comes in contact with.

This acute issue has been addressed by the formulation of new fluency agent, developed by Bayer CropScience which contains waxes to reduce the dust. PMRA has now regulated the use of this fluency agent for corn and soybeans treated with neonicotinoids, posting on their website that: “When using a seed flow lubricant for planting corn and soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid insecticides (containing the active ingredients clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam):

• Use only the Fluency Agent by Bayer CropScience.
• Talc and graphite are not permitted.”

Colony losses that have been attributed directly to the use of neonicotinoids, through exposure to contaminated dust, have been confirmed only in a small region of Ontario and according to Derrick Rozdeba, Bayer CropScience, affects only 2% of colonies which live in close proximity to land planted with vacuum precision planters.

The buzz surrounding this issue has generated enough concern that the standing senate committee has been authorized to examine the topic of bee health as it relates to the production of food, crop and honey production. Over the last number of weeks, the standing committee has had candid discussions with an extensive number of groups that are impacted directly and indirectly by pollinators and the use of neonicotinoids. Senate meetings have included beekepers from across the country as well as representatives from various crop commissions, horticulturalists, scientists, lifesciences companies, and environmental organizations in an effort to include all stakeholders.

D’Arcy Hilgartner, APG commissioner and a director on the Grain Growers of Canada, had an opportunity to present before the standing committee. Hilgartner stated “Farmers and crops need pollinators, pollinators need farmers and crops.” He detailed the importance of bees and hives in relation to his own farming operation, located near Camrose, Alberta. “Science is showing us that having pollinators present increases the yields of some crops, such as canola.”

While the acute issues in bee health due to the use of seed treatment that Ontario bee keepers are experiencing are not occurring in the Western Provinces, bee health is still of concern.

There are several factors that play into maintaining healthy colonies of honey bees. Hilgartner paralleled the need for beekeepers to protect bees from invasive insects, such as the Varroa mite which can decimate a colony, to himself as a producer of crops needing to protect them from invasive insects as well. A key point was to have that constant communication between farmers and beekeepers. Knowing what will be applied and when on a field helps beekeepers minimize the pollinators risk of exposure.

As producers the introduction of neoticotinoid products provided huge advances in the safety and effectiveness of seed treatment products. The issues of bee mortality directly due to the use of these products do not exist in the western provinces. Most crops are planted using air drills and any dust which may be generated due to seed abrasion is pushed into the soil and contact with pollinators is averted.

There are some claims that pollinators and other insects are exposed to these chemicals through the plant themselves. Science has not been able to make a connection however, between use of neonicotinoid seed treatment products, transfer into plant cells, and ingestion by foraging insects resulting in a reduction in health. Because of the complex interaction between disease, winter conditions, and overall bee health it is difficult to attribute an increase in bee mortality to any one factor.

As pulse producers, seed treatments are recommended as part of best management practices. The options for seed treatments are limited in many cases, dry beans for example are treated with Cruiser, a product containing neonicotinoids, and there are no other options. The benefits to plant health and protection by using these products are significant and often eliminate the need to apply chemicals to the foliage later in the season. An aerial application of pesticide has far greater risk of negatively impacting pollinators and other beneficial insects.

Bee health and the recent decline in the numbers of colonies are a concern for many stakeholders. Collaborative efforts to support solid scientific answers and solutions to this complex issue are of high priority for crop producers and beekeepers alike.