Little Change Expected in Saskatchewan Pulse Acres

Pulse crops might be a cheaper production alternative compared to canola or wheat but Carl Potts is not expecting that to translate into a big increase in new-crop acres.

Potts, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, said that while fertilizer and other input prices are up sharply this year, commodity prices are strong as well. Given that trade off, producers are not likely stray too far from their tried and true rotations, he said.

“We’re expecting pulse acres to be about similar to last year. (They) could be up a little bit, could be down a little bit. We have strong prices for many crops, including canola and wheat, and pulses as well. We’re expecting with that, farmers will probably want to stick pretty close to their regular crop rotations.”

Statistics Canada numbers show Saskatchewan producers planted 3.78 million acres to lentils in 2021, along with just over 2 million acres to dry peas. Flax area was just under 791,000 acres, while mustard, canary and chickpea seeded area came in below 300,000 acres each.

However, dryness and drought in key pulse production areas of the province remains a concern, particularly in the western and southern areas.

“We will be watching closely the overall moisture and rain situation,” Potts said. “Soil moisture reserves have been depleted and we need to have timely rains in the spring as well as into the growing season in order to have an average yield. Hopefully, we can return to much more normal rainfall than last year.”

Potts said the pulse industry in Saskatchewan remains strong due to increased demand from plant-based proteins and overseas markets.