herbicide resistant kochia

Kochia tumbling into Prairie pulse crops

Scouting — and testing for herbicide resistance — will be important this spring

Glacier FarmMedia — Concerns about the spread of kochia are growing for Saskatchewan’s pulse producers. Michael Brown, agronomy manager for Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, and Martin Carr, agronomy manager for WinField United, have seen the pesky tumbleweed spread throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta and the United States. The weed is resistant to some herbicides, among them Groups 4, […] Read more



Chickpeas. (CalypsoArt/iStock/Getty Images)

USDA confirms larger U.S. lentil/pea/chickpea crops

Edible bean production down slightly with lower seeded area, yield

Final production estimates for the past growing season from the United States Department of Agriculture confirmed larger lentil, dry pea and chickpea crops in the country in 2023/24 compared to the previous year, as yields improved for all three crops. However, edible bean production was down slightly as both yields and seeded area were down for the crop.

Chickpea curry. (Modesigns58/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Activity to ramp up for chickpeas

'Quality was good, yields were lower'

MarketsFarm — Things are quiet right now on the chickpea front, but that could change in a few weeks, according to Jake Hansen of Mid-West Grain in Moose Jaw. “I think everyone’s getting prepped and ready for Argentina’s harvest, but it’s quiet,” he said. “There’s still movement on previous contracts, but not a lot of […] Read more


File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Smaller yields than last year in Saskatchewan

Pulse production seen varying by location

MarketsFarm — Yields and crop conditions from this year’s pulse harvest in Saskatchewan largely varied by location, according to SaskPulse executive director Carl Potts. “Generally on the east side of the province and some areas of the south, some pretty good yields. And then in the west-central, southwest regions, some yields that were quite low. […] Read more

(Iggi_Boo/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Canada’s prices well supported given smaller crops

Dispute between Canada, India to be watched closely

MarketsFarm — Canadian pulse production came in well below average in 2023, keeping prices supported for the time being. Total pea production was pegged at 2.27 million tonnes by Statistics Canada on Thursday. That was up slightly from the 2.19 million tonnes forecast in August, but well off the 3.42 million tonnes grown the previous […] Read more


File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Saskatchewan production, yields ‘slightly lower’

Peas, lentils over 90 per cent harvested

MarketsFarm — Dale Risula, Saskatchewan’s provincial specialist for pulses, forages and specialty crops, said that while this year’s harvest is progressing well, he expects average-at-best pulse production this year. As of Sept. 4, the province’s dry pea harvest was 92 per cent complete, while 91 per cent of the lentil crop was combined. Only 51 […] Read more

File photo of a lentil crop before harvest in Saskatchewan. (Bobloblaw/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: AAFC trims production numbers

Lentil, chickpea prices up after report

MarketsFarm — Among the many revisions Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada made to its August supply and demand report on Friday were reductions in pulse output for 2023-24. Most of Canada’s pulses are grown on the Prairies, and in particular southern Alberta and western Saskatchewan, which happen to be the driest parts of the region, leading […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

Pulse weekly outlook: recent rains could stabilize crops 

Prices for pulses across Western Canada have been steady

Marketsfarm – Despite the rain the Canadian Prairies received since July 17, MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville pointed out that the major pulse crop areas got very little.  While any precipitation has been beneficial to this year’s crops struggling with dry conditions, Jubinville said, it won’t help that much.  “In terms of advancing pea and […] Read more

A Shanghai container terminal. (Chuyu/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Exports solid through 10 months

West Coast ports move to clear strike backlog

MarketsFarm — Canadian pulse exports continued at a solid pace through most of the 2022-23 marketing year, although recent disruptions on the West Coast may cut into the final total. Roughly a quarter of all Canadian pea exports, a third of the lentils, and all the chickpeas typically move by container, with a strike by […] Read more