The western producer january 26, 2017

Page 1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017

VOL. 95 | NO. 4 | $4.25

HARVEST = SEED SHORTAGE | BAD FEWER GOOD SEEDS P21

SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923

|

WWW.PRODUCER.COM

PULSE INDUSTRY

Pea plant excites sector

CONSUMER OPINIONS

Wheat gets an image makeover

$400 million facility proposed for Manitoba BY ROBERT ARNASON

Will new efforts to emphasize wheat’s nutritional benefits turn around sluggish consumer demand?

W

heat has become a supporting actor on the Prairies, playing second fiddle to the star of the show, canola. The crop’s status dimmed because demand growth for the staple has faded. Global oilseed demand soars because vegetable oil goes into almost all processed food and meal feeds the globe’s fast growing livestock herds, while corn rides the biofuel wave.

A French company may have transformed Canada’s pulse industry. Roquette, a family firm, announced last week that it will build a $400 million pea processing plant in Portage la Prairie, Man. A company news release said the new plant would be “the largest dedicated to pea protein processing in the world.” Corey Loessin, chair of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, said the plant will benefit pulse producers across the Prairies. “Expanding processing capacity (for) the western Canadian industry is good for everybody, is our view,” he said. “The market for protein is rising, and it seems like a good opportunity for a company to come in and do more processing on the Prairies.”

However, wheat struggles along, limited mostly to bread, bakery and pasta demand tied to population growth. Researchers think the best hope for expanded wheat consumption isn’t in the factory or gas tank, but right where it has always been — on the dinner plate. What’s needed is a rebranding, or re-emphasis, on the grain’s healthful qualities, and perhaps plant breeding to make it a super food. SEE REBRANDING WHEAT, PAGE 4

»

SEE PEA PLANT, PAGE 5

»

u|xhHEEJBy00001pzYv!:% JANUARY 26, 2017 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4

MICHELLE HOULDEN ILLUSTRATION / GETTY STOCK IMAGES

The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240

BY ROBERT ARNASON BRANDON BUREAU

BRANDON BUREAU


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.