This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Pulse Canada is aiming high to accelerate growth and generate significant new demand for pulses and pulse ingredients. The Pulse Canada Board of Directors recently set the “25 by 2025” target as part of the organization’s strategic planning process. The association’s focus will now include uniting the industry around the bold new goal.

The 25 by 2025 goal will aim to create demand in new use categories for 25 per cent of the Canadian pulse industry’s productive capacity by 2025. Snack foods, tortillas and breakfast cereals are just a few product categories that represent growth potential for pulse ingredients, which offer food manufacturers protein, fibre, slowly digestible starch and an unparalleled environmental sustainability story.

The demand target comes as Pulse Canada considers its sustainable growth strategy. The Canadian pulse industry continued to expand production in 2016 to meet strong demand with a 28 per cent increase in lentil production and a 51 per cent increase in pea production over the last year.

“Our traditional markets will always be a top priority for us and we’ll continue to invest into improving service and product quality for Canada’s long standing customers,” said Lee Moats, Chair of Pulse Canada and member of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Board of Directors. “Pulse ingredients are also attracting a lot of attention from non-traditional markets, and we need to ensure that we sharpen our focus on that new demand in order to diversify our options and deliver the value we know that pulse ingredients can add to a wide range of new food products.”

Pulse Canada’s demand target, announced on Global Pulse Day (Jan. 18), proved timely as European ingredient company Roquette also revealed its plans to build a pea processing facility in Canada that day. Global Pulse Day was recognized across the globe during over 200 events in 63 countries, which generated over 36 million social media impressions.

“Global Pulse Day and the 2016 International Year of Pulses have been incredibly successful platforms that have helped create awareness for pulses and the contribution they make to human health and environmental sustainability,” Moats said. “We believe we can continue to build momentum and turn that awareness into increased demand and higher consumption.”

In 2016, the number of food products containing pulses launched in North America grew by approximately 30 per cent with the fastest growth coming from the snack foods category.

“Roquette’s announcement, along with other investments into value-added processing that have been made by Canadian companies and other foreign investors to date, is a strong signal that the industry is well positioned to serve an expanding food and ingredient market,” said Greg Cherewyk, COO of Pulse Canada.

Reformulating food products to include pulse ingredients can significantly increase their nutritional quality while lowering their environmental footprint. For example, a reformulation of traditional durum pasta to include 25 per cent lentil flour can increase fibre content by 100 per cent and protein content by 25 per cent while lowering its carbon footprint by up to 26 per cent.

“As we look ahead, the definition of food quality will include social indicators like health outcomes, environmental indicators like greenhouse gas emissions and economic indicators such as affordability,” Moats said. “Our journey to 25 by 2025 aligns well with the future of food and we’re looking forward to working with our partners at home and around the world to meet the needs of customers of today and customers of tomorrow.”

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

AGT Foods is banking on the continued popularity of pulses with Alberta farmers by opening new pulse facilities in Gibbons and near Calgary.

“The next big frontier in the world for pulses is either Alberta or Montana,” AGT Foods President and CEO Murad Al-Katib told a packed room during FarmTech 2017.

AGT’s new and improved Gibbons plant opened up in 2016, and the plant 14 km south of Calgary is under construction with opening scheduled for fall 2017.

The company entered into binding agreements to acquire all of the assets of Finora Inc., including the Gibbons plant (approximately 40 km north of  Edmonton) and three others in Saskatchewan, in 2009.

“Southern Alberta is one of the only all-pulses regions in the world,” Al-Katib said. “This year, Alberta exceeded Australia for the first time. Alberta’s growth is beneficial to the pulse sector in Canada because we need balance in the organization.”

Al-Katib added that Alberta was the second largest producer of lentils in the world in 2016. Saskatchewan was the largest producer. He said that the Alberta advantage also includes the proximity to ports, a typically earlier harvest, and room to grow the acreage.

He took the opportunity to praise the Alberta Pulse Growers for efforts to grow the industry as well.

“The leadership of the Alberta Pulse Growers has really impressed us,” Al-Katib said. “Your Directors get that it’s about protein.”

AGT Foods began in 2002 and showed Saskatchewan producers that lentils were something that they should be growing for many reasons. Al-Katib had seen how the red lentils that were grown in Canada were shipped to Turkey and other countries to be split, and wondered why the splitting couldn’t be done in Canada.

“I said I’m going to start an agricultural company and make a lot of money,” he recalled. “I have made a lot of money, but producers have made a lot of money too.”

The Regina-based company buys lentils and other pulses from producers and sells them around the world. It began production in 2003, went public  in 2007 and eventually grew into one of the world’s largest lentil companies, handling about a quarter of the global supply.

“We were able to take that pulse opportunity and we were able to monetize it,” Al-Katib explained. “About 24 per cent of the world’s lentils go through our facilities today. From producer to the world was my vision, and as a $2 billion company today, that is still our vision.”

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Much of Canada’s grain hopper car fleet is “duct-taped together and on its last legs,” a transportation policy expert told a packed room during FarmTech in January.

Advancements in railcar technology mean that fewer new rail cars will be needed to replace retiring older ones, but it still isn’t clear who will bankroll a fleet that is nearing the end of its life expectancy, said Steve Pratte, Policy Manager with the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

“This whole system has rested on the hopper cars we’ve had since the 1970s,” he said. “Underpinning that is the hopper car fleet is a mixed bag of ownership, and age and stage of the hopper car.”

Pratte said that advances in hopper car design since the 1970s include capacity increasing from 4,550 ft3 to 5,150 ft3 and 5,400 ft3 . The maximum gross weight also swelled from 120 tonnes to 130 tonnes. He also pointed to structural design improvements and lighter tare weights.

In early 2016, there were 22,400 publicly-supplied hopper cars in circulation but how many are online at once varies by month depending on fleet, storage and back order, Pratte noted. There are a lot of players in the Western Canadian grain supply chain, he said, and the average crop production of 60 million tonnes was moved for each of the last five years.

The Canadian Transportation Act (CTA) Review Report devoted a page to the issue of aging grain hopper cars, Pratte said.

The report states that: “Between 1972 and 1994, the federal government purchased 13,500 rail hopper cars to carry Canadian grain from the Prairies to Western Canadian ports for export. The expected service life of these hopper cars was about 40 years. Under past and current operating agreements, these hopper cars are provided at no cost to CN and CP for grain transport, although the federal government collects annual revenues in the range of $10 to 15 million for alternate uses of the cars. Due to losses from accidents and aging, the federal fleet was estimated at about 8,410 hopper cars in 2014. The Governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan respectively acquired 1,000 hopper cars in 1980-81 of which about 900 currently remain in service. The Canadian Wheat Board (now G3 Global Grain Group) bought about 2,000 hopper cars in 1979-80 and purchased 1,663 leased rail cars in 2005-06; about 3,380 hopper cars remain in their fleet. The total number of Canadian grain hopper cars is estimated at about 23,000.”

Pratte noted over the last few decades, public policy gradually shifted toward deregulation and 900 Alberta cars are now approaching 50 years of age.

“The major issue from the farmer’s perspective is: As this publicly-provided policy is phased out, how is that reflected in the price of your grain,” Pratte asked the room filled with producers at FarmTech in Edmonton. “Is this going to be one more of those costs downloaded to you eventually?”

APG Past-Chair Allison Ammeter, who farms near Sylvan Lake, agreed that it’s a problem that is top of mind for producers.

“As a farmer, dependable grain movement is a critical part of our business,” she said.  “However, the concern is that yet another cost will be added to our bottom line if we leave car replacement to the railways. An additional concern is that replacement will not be done in a timely manner.  This is the time to address these concerns to ensure that the railways, grain companies, and governments do not simply wait for someone to make the first move.”

Unfortunately, the CTA report didn’t make any specific recommendations on that front, Pratte said.

The report states: “The existing grain hopper car fleet in Canada is nearing the end of its useful life and must be expanded and renewed. The federal government can play a role in the development of a long-term strategic plan on how best this can be achieved and under what timelines. It also has a role to ensure a favorable regulatory regime exists that does not generate barriers to investment. Modifications to the MRE (Maximum Revenue Entitlement) methodology (or elimination of the MRE, outright) could reduce “free-riders” and investment disincentives. Other options include, an accelerated capital cost allowance of railway cars (e.g. to levels comparable to those in the United States, 30 percent for railway cars), and the exploration of the appropriateness of an investment tax credit are initiatives that foster a positive investment climate.”

In a speech on Nov. 3, Minister of Transport Marc Garneau promised legislation to be tabled in the spring to “advance a long-term agenda for a more transparent, balanced, and efficient rail system that reliably moves our goods to global markets.”

Pratte added that there is some interest from private companies to make the investment but government still has a part in the process.

“The role of government potentially is as broker – who’s going to do what and who is going to move first,” Pratte said. “The motivation for shipping companies to maintain their own cars versus the railways is the legal promise of service. If you put in so many units, we guarantee you so many lines of service per week. You obtain it and we’ll give you better service.”

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

John Kowalchuk, APG Director-at-Large (Non-bean), Chair of Extension Committee

Ever since I started growing yellow peas 16 years ago, I entertained the thought of getting involved in the Alberta Pulse Growers in some way.

I enjoyed growing new crops like peas and soybeans with such potential to change the way we farm by adding another plant type to the rotation. I really wanted to share my experiences with other Alberta farmers and help promote this great “tool” in our fight to help with short rotations.

I had stopped by the Alberta Pulse Growers booth in the past but felt I didn’t have the time or knowledge to be involved with an ag commission. I think many farmers feel the same way and this is what holds them back.

The fact of the matter is you do have to commit a certain amount of time, but it’s basically your decision how much. The more you give, the more you’ll get out of it stands very true for any ag group but there is no pressure. As far as not having the knowledge to contribute, if you’re willing to listen, discuss and share your opinion, you will do well on a board. Your life experiences are some of your most useful knowledge, not what you learned in school or post-secondary.

Then, at the farm show in Red Deer in November 2015, I made a point of stopping by the Pulse booth because I knew Sarah Hoffmann from my area had stepped down and the position of Director-at-Large (Non-Bean) was opening up. It just so happened that Allison Ammeter was helping out at the booth that day, and I was able to talk to her about APG and what it’s like to be on the board. After this discussion and taking some time to think about it, I knew I wanted to put my name forward for election at the AGM during FarmTech.

In January 2016 in Edmonton during FarmTech, I attended the Alberta Pulse AGM and got in front of a crowd of pulse growers to explain to them why I wanted to be a Director. I told my story of growing peas, and also talked about growing soybeans for the first time. I was very nervous having never spoken in front of that many people before, so it was a bit of a blur. I was happy to find out afterwards that I had been elected as a Director and was really looking forward to the year ahead.

The next year consisted of four board meetings where representatives from all five pulse zones in Alberta and the APG staff get together. Also, I volunteered for the Research Committee, as well as the Extension Committee. These are things I had a real interest in, and have been able to be in some very informative meetings.

I am starting to feel more confident in contributing to discussions. Alberta Pulse Growers uses a significant portion of levy dollars investing in research and also leverages those dollars with other funding dollars. Things like root rot and pea leaf weevil are issues we as pea producers face in Alberta, and are being researched through your levy dollars. Also, the other pulse crops have many new and ongoing research programs to help producers such as white mold research in dry beans and chocolate spot in faba beans.

The Directors on the board are all very hard-working, interesting people. I’ve had great one-on-one conversations with many of them and learned about pulse farming across our province.

Getting an opportunity to work with the staff at APG has been an eye-opener as well. These men and women bring a wealth of industry and producer knowledge to the table, and having the chance to learn from them about pulses has been invaluable. They do an amazing job of representing the Alberta Pulse Growers on a provincial and national stage and in helping to promote pulses. I have seen firsthand how committed they are to the success of all the projects that APG has taken on in the last year. They represent us well, and we are lucky to have every one of them.

I was re-elected in January at the AGM since Director-at-Large terms are only one year. The last few months have been a great opportunity to meet many interesting people from our ag community, and I have enjoyed the chance to learn from all them.

All of us in agriculture have many battles ahead and these grower groups will be there working alongside us to help with all the agronomic and social issues. My hope for all farmers out there is that you take the time to get involved in one of the grower groups. They do great work on our behalf and, once you get an inside look, you will better understand how much goes on behind the scenes to help farmers.

So, get involved if you have the chance, you’ll be amazed at how much you can contribute and the friendships and knowledge you gain in return.

A version of this story first appeared as a blog post at johnkowalchuk.blogspot.ca.

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

The Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) selected Blair Roth, who has been instrumental in building Alberta’s pulse industry, as the winner of the third annual Alberta Pulse Industry Innovator Award.

“Each year APG recognizes a person or organization whose progressive thinking and tireless efforts helped build Alberta’s pulse industry into the flourishing industry that it is today,” said APG Past-Chair Allison Ammeter. “Blair Roth has dedicated his career to the advancement of the pulse industry and truly deserves to receive the Alberta Pulse Industry Innovator Award for his many contributions.”

Roth said that he was honoured to learn that he was chosen as the recipient of the third annual Industry Innovator Award. He was nominated by Zone 1.

“This means a lot to me and I truly appreciate the honour,” Roth said. “I am humbled to be put in the same category as previous recipients. To me, these type of awards are a team game. I hope I have played some small part, and I don’t expect the momentum of this industry to slow as the next generation takes on the challenges of the future.”

Roth discovered his life-long passion for pulses when he worked in applied research at Alberta Agriculture in the 1980s and ran field scale demonstrations for many crops, including early soybean, lupin, faba bean, chickpea, bean, pea and lentil crops. He worked very closely with producers to establish the Alberta Pulse Growers Association, which he then helped transition to the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission in 1989. Roth saw the potential for pulses in Alberta and the need for a strong provincial organization that could continue to improve production and marketing research. In 1990, Roth started working in special crops with Alberta Pool, and then Agricore. He has continued to support the growth in the pulse industry over the last nine years as the Director-Special Crops for Viterra, overseeing the North American procurement, processing and marketing of pulses for Viterra.

Roth accepted the award presented by Ammeter and Zone 1 Chair Richard Pepneck during APG’s Annual General Meeting in January at FarmTech.

Roth thanked the zone for nominating him, as well as all the people who helped him in his career during the last 40 years.

“Thanks to my family for coming along for the ride and being willing to prepare, promote and eat beans or lentils or peas even when they weren’t convinced – I think they are now,” he said from the podium at the Edmonton Expo Centre where his son Nathan watched his father accept the honour. “Thank you to the many farmers that I have learned from, worked with, done business with and befriended over the past 40 years. Life is a continual path of learning and my association with the farming community has been a real blessing for my career.”

He also expressed gratitude to the many staff members, business associates, customers and researchers he worked with and learned from over the years.

While Roth became involved in the pulse industry in 1979, he told the crowd of about 200 people at the AGM, that the closest year he could find acreage numbers for Western Canada was 1981 with 500,000 acres. He said that the acreage in Western Canada had grown to well over 10 million acres in 2016.

“What a sweet ride,” he remarked. “There have been lots of challenges, and there will be more! But there has also been lots of excitement and rewarding times observing and being part of the success that the pulse industry has achieved over the past 30-odd years.”

He added: “I think back to all the dedication and time invested by all who have toiled to make this industry what it is today. I recall the early days when we formed the Alberta Pulse Growers Association in 1979 and worried how we could ever get enough funding to direct research into the most needed areas. I think of all the on-farm research that growers willingly took on to better the industry. Let’s not forget all the hard work and risk taking of those early pioneers of our industry!”

Tim VanderHoek, APG’s Bean Director-at-Large who farms in Zone 1, had high praise for Roth’s contributions to building the pulse industry.

“Blair Roth not only helped create markets for pulses,” VanderHoek explained, “but also assisted the farmers who created this body, the Alberta Pulse Growers, that is very successful today and has grown tremendously throughout his career. He was instrumental at the start of the association, and his opinion continues to be respected at the zone and provincial level.”

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

The new Chair of the Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) is looking forward to working with the APG board to build on the many strides made for beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas during International Year of Pulses in 2016.

“We had a highly successful International Year of Pulses, and I am looking forward to continuing the momentum in pulse production and consumer awareness,” said APG Chair D’Arcy Hilgartner. “Pulses have a great economic story to tell for producers, and I eagerly anticipate announcing further developments in the areas of export and value-added production. For consumers, we will build on the health and sustainability awareness that has already had such a positive impact.”

Hilgartner farms near Camrose where his family grows a wide range of crops, including peas, wheat, canola, barley, and flax. Pulses have been a staple in the farm’s rotation for over 25 years due to rotational benefits and lower input costs. Hilgartner has participated in research plots and demonstration trials for many years. He joined the Alberta Pulse Growers as a Zone 5 Advisor in 2009, and was elected to the provincial board in 2013. He served as APG Vice-Chair for the past two years. Hilgartner has represented APG at a variety of international events, including most recently at the Pulse Conclave in India, which allowed him the opportunity to explore a country that depends on Canadian pulses to feed its growing population.

Hilgartner said he appreciated the board’s confidence in electing him as Chair for 2017-18, and looks forward to working with the new and returning Directors to keep building Alberta’s pulse industry.

“I am looking forward to working with the other Directors,” he said, “and drawing on their vast experience with APG, other boards and on their own operations.”

Rycroft beef and grain producer Caroline Sekulic was elected as Vice-Chair. She joined APG in January 2016 and has a keen interest in the profitability, sustainability and strength of Alberta’s agriculture industry.

“There has been, and will be, a great deal of agricultural policy change over the next year,” Sekulic said. “Our export markets for whole and pulse fractions are thriving. I am excited to help our industry navigate and welcome change to position ourselves for success.”

The Executive Committee is rounded out by Past-Chair Allison Ammeter of Sylvan Lake, who led the APG board for the last two years.

APG welcomed Greg Stamp, a partner in his family’s seed farm near Enchant, to the board as a Zone 1 Director following the Annual General Meeting held in January during FarmTech.

“I wanted to represent Zone 1 with APG because I believe pulse acres, production, and processing have lots of room to grow in Alberta,” Stamp said. “We have a very diverse climate throughout the province, irrigation opportunities in drier regions provide stability, and room to expand pulse business in Alberta. I look forward to advocating for the farmers in my region and encourage promotion, communication, and research of pulse crops. I want to encourage and help farmers and industry continue to build a sustainable and growing pulse industry.”

Stamp replaced Robert Weisgerber, who completed his maximum six-year term.

“The best thing about being on the provincial board is the people you meet along the way, from other board members and staff, to all the connections that are made through the committees and
other organizations that you can get involved with,” Weisgerber explained. “There is opportunity for travel and to get involved with national boards, and hopefully make a real difference in the industry. I would highly recommend getting involved to anyone.”

Directors also bid farewell to Zone 3’s provincial representative James Jackson.

Zone 3 selected third generation farmer Chris Allam from the Fort Saskatchewan area as the new Zone 3 Director. The farm Allam grew up on transitioned from dairy in 2007 to grains, oil seeds and pulses, and he recently formed a partnership with his family called Allam Farms Partnership.

“As an APG board member, I would like to focus on pulses that could be a true scalable crop rotation, instead of the traditional roughly 10 per cent of farm acres,” he said. “I feel that serving on boards will help with networking and enhance agriculture in Alberta.”

Incumbent APG Director-at-Large (Bean) Tim VanderHoek and Director-at-Large (Non-Bean) John
Kowalchuk were each acclaimed to remain in these positions for a one-year term. The Board of Directors for 2017-18 also includes: Rodney Volk (Zone 1); Doug Sell (Zone 2); Ryan Kubinec (Zone 3); Fraser Robertson (Zone 4); and Don Shepert (Zone 5).

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Leanne Fischbuch, Executive Director

Your grower organization has been active this winter addressing change. Producers may ask what has changed that is so important for the industry? In the late fall, Health Canada issued a review of the use of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid, and recommended a ban on the use of that product. There was a comment period of 90 days issued upon the announcement and subsequent 30-day extension.

For the pulse industry – dry beans, lentils, field peas, faba beans – imidacloprid is not a product that is of great significance, but for the soybean industry it is. What is more concerning is that Health Canada is also undergoing a review of thiamethoxam – a chemistry that is more significant for the pulse industry in treatment of soil borne pests like pea leaf weevil.

In working to provide comment to the imidacloprid review, APG is leading coordination of the pulse grower organization response with Pulse Canada to provide comments to Health Canada and learn how these reviews are completed and what is essential for feedback. This will aid us significantly in getting ready for the thiamethoxam review.

Another change that could be quite significant is with India. As I write this, the pulse industry has been working with other departments within the federal government, such as Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Market Industry Services Branch and alongside the Canadian Grain Commission, to bring forward a systems approach for market access into India. Canada is India’s largest supplier of pulses and India is Canada’s largest market for pulses, accounting for more than $1.1 billion and more than 1.9 million tonnes in 2016.  Approximately 33 per cent of total Canadian pulse exports and 42 per cent of Canadian pea exports moved to India in 2016.

Pulses are part of the health, nutrition and environmental sustainability attributes that are important to the rising middle class within India. With rising middle class incomes, strong population growth, and continued interest in using pulses in food products because of their health, nutrition and environmental sustainability attributes, import demand for pulses in India is expected to continue to increase.

This past fall, India gave notice to the Canadian government that they will no longer be accepting pulses that are not fumigated at origin. The issue is being worked on at highest levels government to government and will hopefully be solved shortly to continue to allow Canadian pulses into the country.

APG has also been active with Pulse Canada’s Value Chain MRL committee this winter. The committee meets to review and recommend the information to be provided on the pulse industry’s Grower Advisory. The committee is comprised of agronomists, producers, grower organization staff and industry members. This year’s advisory was being worked on as Pulse Crop News went to print. Please consult the latest document, but please keep in contact with the grower organizations for updates to the information.

There was also change within the organization as Alberta Pulse Growers welcomed a new Chair and new board members after our Annual General Meeting. D’Arcy Hilgartner was elected to Chair the organization and Greg Stamp (Zone 1) and Chris Allam (Zone 3) joined the provincial board. APG welcomed back Bean Director at Large Tim VanderHoek and NonBean Director at Large John Kowalchuk. The organization also said goodbye to two Directors, Robert Weisgerber (Zone 1) and James Jackson (Zone 3).

The board looks forward to continuing the hard work of the industry in 2017. Building on the momentum of International Year of Pulses 2016 and capturing the opportunities that the celebration provided will be key to growth and advancement for the industry. As we come to the end of meeting season and look forward to the growing season, Alberta Pulse Growers staff and Directors are wishing you a safe and productive spring.

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

D’Arcy Hilgartner, APG Chair

I am looking forward to leading the Alberta Pulse Growers as we build on the excitement for pulses that was kicked into high gear with International Year of Pulses (IYP) in 2016.

We had a fabulous year with IYP and we plan to carry on with that momentum with more investment in research and marketing. This includes working with our partners in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and through our national organization, Pulse Canada, to expand those global markets because Canada is a leading exporter in pulses and we want to build on the success we have enjoyed so far.

As many APG members heard at FarmTech in January from Murad Al-Katib of AGT Foods, this is certainly an exciting time to be a pulse grower in Alberta. Read more on page 14 about why he believes that Alberta is the next frontier for pulses.

APG agrees that conditions are favourable to grow more pulses in Alberta, and producers have been proving us right with increasing pulse acreage year after year. APG’s goal of increasing pulse acres from seven per cent in 2015 to 15 per cent in 2020 (370,000 per year for next five years) was spot on with the record 2.4 million acres estimated to have been seeded last year.

Pulses have a great economic story to tell for Alberta producers, who are seeing the rotational benefits and lower input costs of planting pulses.

APG’s membership grew by 900 new pulse producers last year. APG works hard to ensure that first-time growers have the best agronomic advice possible, and experienced pulse growers receive support as required through APG staff, agronomic advice at www.pulse.ab.ca, educational events, printed materials like Pulse Crop News and the recent Root Rot publication that was mailed out with the last issue, the Pulse Check e-newsletter, and more.

If the buzz at FarmTech is any indication, APG should see another surge in pulse growers and markets in the coming growing season.

I eagerly anticipate announcing further developments in the areas of export and value-added production. APG is also working to boost the demand for Alberta-grown pulses here at home. For consumers, we will build on the health and sustainability awareness that has already had such a positive impact. We are looking forward to the release of our Baking with Pulses cookbook shortly, which will follow our very popular Pulses: Cooking with Beans, Peas, Lentils & Chickpeas recipe book that was made available earlier this year. We also have some new initiatives planned for
communicating with Albertans about the goodness and versatility of pulses in the coming year.

Currently, the majority of Alberta-grown pulses are exported overseas, but we are seeing more and more companies setting up pulse facilities in Alberta and we are certain that it is just a matter of time before we reach the APG goal of moving the number of secondary value-added processing facilities from zero in 2015 to three enterprises by 2020.

Ultimately, all of this work is aimed at helping growers to sell more pulses. Like most of you, I’m looking forward to seeding and pulses will be in my farm’s rotation again, as they have been for over 25 years.

I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you over the years and look forward to speaking with you at APG and industry events and hearing your ideas to move the industry forward. I am also looking forward to meeting new pulse growers and hearing about your experiences and how APG can be of service.

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Debra McLennan, RD APG Food & Nutrition Coordinator

Did you celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day on February 16? This first ever event was announced on June 1, 2016 in Ottawa on the last day of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity Public Trust Summit. This was to be a day to celebrate the agriculture industry and connect Canadian consumers with Canadian food and the people who produce it. Canada’s Agriculture Day was celebrated across Canada and created thousands of conversations about our food and agriculture. It was so popular on social media that the hashtag (#CdnAgDay) trended on Twitter!

What did APG do to celebrate? We were approached, along with other commodity groups, by ATB Financial about an idea they had to gather together a group of people to listen, learn and share conversations about farming and food. In conjunction with Canada’s 150th Anniversary, the goal was to get 150 Millennial guests representing agriculture, commodities, culinary media and consumers for a “Meeting in the Middle” long table dinner in Olds, Alberta.

Why this type of event? There were a few reasons. First, according to Statistics Canada, less than three per cent of Canadians have a connection to agriculture today, compared to 90 per cent in the 1930s. Everyone eats food, but the connection to where that food comes from, who produces it and how it’s processed is being lost in our urban centers. Second, the agriculture industry is often overlooked as a major contributor to our economy. Third, there isn’t a lot of trust between agriculture and consumers. What better way to ignite the conversation and create those connections about agriculture and food than sitting down together at the dinner table and enjoying a meal made with Alberta products and prepared by Alberta chefs!

Once the format was decided, the focus shifted to who to invite. It didn’t take long to decide that it should be those who belong to our next generation, under 35 years of age, the Millennials. This population group is now the largest, bigger than the population of Baby Boomers. And their voices and choices have a huge influence on our food landscape, so it only made sense to engage this group in our event!

In the end, there were 154 guests from Edmonton and Calgary in attendance who, along with producers from all over the province, enjoyed a five-course meal accompanied by beverages from Alberta craft breweries and distilleries as well as a Calgary coffee roaster.

APG invited four pulse producers to share their agriculture story, and I had the opportunity to talk to the chefs. I personally thought the event was a success for APG because pulses were featured in three of the five courses at the dinner, and a white bean and green lentil hummus snack was provided for those who took the bus! This also showed me that International Year of Pulses 2016 had an impact on our culinary industry since the chefs took it upon themselves to include pulses in their creations with no prompting from me!

Surveys have been sent to all the invited guests who attended, and it will be interesting to see what they thought of the event and if the goal of connecting Alberta Millennial consumers to agriculture in Alberta was achieved.

This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

The Alberta Pulse Showcase provided an exciting opportunity for a new graduate from the University of Alberta’s Food, Science and Nutrition program to put her education into action.

Following her April 2016 graduation, Olivia Thompson was contracted by Alberta Agriculture’s Food Processing Development Centre (FPDC) to work exclusively on The Alberta Pulse showcase. She ended up working on many of the pulse-based products developed for the November events in honour of International Year of Pulses.

“I was involved in 10 of the projects – some more so than others,” said Thompson, who was hired as a Product/ Process Development Technologist. “Some I was more hands-on with the scientists and the clients, while others I was just involved in sourcing the ingredients and the background things like writing the reports. I was solely focusing on The Alberta Pulse showcase.”

She said the best part about getting out of the classroom and working with industry was learning from the people she met on the project.

“Initially, it was a little overwhelming because there were so many products going on so it took a little organization and teamwork,” she added. “As the ball got rolling, it was amazing to be able to apply the knowledge you learn in school and meet people who give you new opportunities and teach you new things.”

Thompson explained that she learned a lot from the scientists, through trial and error, reading research papers, and exploring the options available through various suppliers, and what kind of processing techniques they’re using to modify or get pulse fractions for developers like the food scientists at the FPDC.

She said that working on The Alberta Pulse showcase opened her eyes to the endless possibilities for including pulses in food products.

“Coming into it, I knew what pulses were and I’d worked on a few things with pulses on my own at home,” she said. “I think they’re pretty awesome. It’s a great opportunity for the food industry to apply these to their products because they’re low allergen, great for replacing gluten as an alternative binder compared to wheat crumb, and also as a great source of fibre and protein. From the sustainability side, there’s also an awesome opportunity for farmers and agriculture in general.”

Of course, all of the hard work was focused on presenting the new products at the three pulse showcase events in Leduc and Calgary in November.

“I feel like there could always be more time for development – it’s always so much fun to be able to create new products,” she said. “But at the same time, it’s nice to have it wrapped up so that these clients can go on to the next stages of commercialization and getting their products to the marketplace, if that’s what they choose to do.”

Thompson was pleased to see local researchers, ingredient suppliers, farmers and representatives of other organizations attend the events focused entirely on pulses.

“It really showcased our knowledge and resources within Alberta from the local farmers’ perspective to the local businesses wanting to get on board,” she said. “And then from the Food Processing Development Centre’s perspective, bringing it to life to help businesses commercialize these innovative products and bring them to the masses for everyone to enjoy.”

The excitement about pulses didn’t end with the pulse showcase events, Thompson said.

“I think there’s still a very high demand for incorporating pulses into food products,” she noted. “With the International Year of Pulses there was a lot of exposure to local businesses and moving forward we’ll probably see a lot of people requesting to incorporate pulses into their products. As well going forward, we’ll probably be working with the clients involved in the pulse showcase to extend their product lines or get their products involved in The Alberta Pulse showcase to the market.”

Thompson said that she sampled many new pulse products throughout the showcase project and tried many new pulse recipes at home, as well. Her favourite, she said, is a black bean salsa. One of the recipes she has enjoyed making for this is APG’s Black Bean Pico de Gallo.

“It’s becoming a more versatile source of protein and fibre in my diet, for sure,” she said.

Thompson’s contract to work on the Pulse Showcase ended in March, but she received an extension to work at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc on other projects.