Carl Potts, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, said farmers are looking forward to seeding despite lower crop prices and higher input costs, despite the war in Iran affecting fuel and fertilizer shipments.

“There is a mix of seasonal optimism as we head into spring, as well as some concern over the impacts of the broader geopolitical impacts that have been going on,” Potts said.

• For daily market updates, visit The Western Producer Markets Desk

Most lentil varieties lost 22 to 34 cents per pound since last year, Prairie Ag Hotwire reported. Chickpeas declined four to 12 cents per pound, green peas fell $5.75/bu. and yellow peas dipped $1.34/bu. He said lower prices have kept demand strong, with China re-entering the market for Canadian peas and India remaining one of Canada’s top buyers.

“(Lower prices) really have to (keep demand strong) because we produced a large crop last year in red and especially in green lentils. I think demand is quite good and quite strong but we have a significant inventory, particularly in lentils, that the market will have to move to,” Potts said.

Last month, Statistics Canada projected a 6.3 per cent increase in chickpea acres nationwide for 2026-27 compared to last, as well as a 5.5 per cent decline in lentil acres and a 12.3 per cent drop in pea acres.

Pulses’ appeal grows with fertilizer costs

However, the data was collected before China suspended its tariffs on Canadian peas. Along with the war in Iran, growing pulses is now more appealing due to their lower fertilizer needs. Potts said small shifts in acres could be possible this spring.

“Most farmers would have fertilizer and fuel supplies relatively secured, but in cases where people didn’t have all their nitrogen fertilizer booked and they’re concerned about price or availability, then moving to something like peas or lentils or chickpeas … could be a factor,” he said, adding that farmers will largely stick to their crop rotations.

Potts added that SaskPulse will continue to work on field-based, in-season initiatives such as showcasing and testing their in-house research projects. The organization will also host a series of field days in July.

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“Presently, tariffs on peas sit at 30 per cent for all countries (Canada included) and lentils sit at roughly 11 per cent for all countries,” Jeff English, vice president, public affairs for Pulse Canada, said about India’s current tariffs in an email to Glacier FarmMedia on March 30.

For daily markets updates, visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

For some time, India suspended its duties on pulses as a means to reduce food inflation, as domestic supply wasn’t quite enough to meet demand. However, with growing pressure from Indian farmers, the country’s government reimposed the levies in late 2025.

English said Pulse Canada will be in a better position to comment after the Indian government has said where it’s going with its pulse duties.

Lentil, pea prices

Heading into that, there has been little effect on pulse cash prices across Western Canada. Prairie Ag Hotwire cited a one cent increase on old crop Laird lentils, ranging from 11.5 to 25 cents per pound delivered depending on size. However, the Lairds have fallen 26 to 30 cents/lb. over the last 12 months.

Cash prices for the Eston, Richlea and French varieties were unchanged over the last week. Estons were 13 to 21.8 cents/lb. delivered and Richleas at 8.5 to 21.8 cents/lb. They as well have experienced sharp declines since a year ago, with declines between 19.3 to 31.3 cents/lb.

Crimson lentils stepped back 1.3 to 1.5 cents on the week at 14 to 25.5 cents/lb. delivered. Over the last 12 months, Crimsons are down 4.5 to cents/lb.

As for dry peas, the greens dropped 50 cents on the week at C$7.50 to C$10/bu. delivered, while the yellows were unchanged at C$7.75 to C$8.55/bu. Over the year, the green have dropped C$7.50/bu. and the yellows slipped C$2.45.

CEPA negotiations, trade mission

English also commented on the state of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement being negotiated between Canada and India.

“…the launch of negotiations is a positive step towards a new bilateral trade relationship. We look forward to playing an active role during these negotiations to ensure that Canada’s pulse sector can benefit from enhanced trade between our two countries,” he said.

Pulse Canada led a delegation to India from March 1-5 with members of other Canadian pulse organizations. The group met with government officials, traders, millers and other industry members, Pulse Canada said in a March 30 report.

“When we sit down with customers and partners in India, it reinforces that Canada is committed for the long haul. That trust is what helps keep our product moving, even when the market gets complicated,” said Terry Youzwa, chair of Pulse Canada, in the report.

According to the report, the clearest takeaway from the mission was that India will continue to need imported pulses. Industry members said the country typically only has a few months’ worth of pulse supply at a time.

“Our job is to stay connected to the market so we can bring that signal back home. That helps farmers understand where the opportunities are – not just this year, but over the long term,” said Shane Strydhorst, Pulse Canada’s vice chair.

-With files from Geralyn Wichers

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Daryl Domitruk, now a research project manager for MPSG, said pulse and soybean prospects in Manitoba have become “very interesting” due to the war in the Middle East as well as speculation over upcoming weather conditions. He added that it is difficult to determine with certainty how many acres will be planted for certain crops.

“What we’ve been seeing is that soybeans are likely to increase in Manitoba. Dry beans are likely to be down and peas are tougher (to determine). We’re expecting similar acreage (from last year) but that could change with the weather,” Domitruk said.

His assessment largely reflected that of Statistics Canada’s latest principal field crop report released earlier this month. Soybean acres in Manitoba were projected at 1.869 million acres this year, up 12.9 per cent from 2025-26. Edible bean acres were projected at 120,000, down 45.6 per cent, while dry pea acres are expected to decline by 40.5 per cent at 116,700.

For daily markets update, visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

Domitruk attributed the drops in dry bean and pea acres to the markets being well-supplied, which resulted in prices going down and seeded area falling.

With shipments of fertilizer and urea being held up due to the war in Iran, farmers may be inclined to grow soybeans and other crops with low fertilizer needs. Domitruk said there is already additional interest from growers.

“That is the only thing that may accelerate bean or soybean acres than what’s already being projected,” he added. “But we need to pay close attention to crop rotations in Manitoba.”

He added that the amount of snow received in central and southern Manitoba this winter could provide the moisture necessary for good growing conditions. However, pulse planting is still restricted to specific windows of time.

“That window only works if seeding for wheat and canola go according to plan,” Domitruk said.

“It’s really difficult when you have so many different factors in play this year between markets, world events, weather and prices for inputs. Weather-wise, we can only assume things will be OK. Of course, it’s not in our hands and we can just see what we get,” he added.

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Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture Inc. in Winnipeg said large carryouts and lower prices over the past year will likely mean fewer pulse acres this spring.

“Like for all commodities, prices are down quite a bit. So your return-per-acre calculation will change very significantly,” Boersch said. “On top of that, for both lentils and peas, you will have some very significant carryout.”

Seeded lentil acres were estimated at 4.138 million tonnes, down 5.5 per cent from last year. The total would be the least amount of acres in three years and the second-least since 2020. One reason for the decline would be the 2025-26 carryout of 1.695 million tonnes, more than three times larger than the previous year’s.

Dry pea acres were also set to be lower, dropping by 12.3 per cent at 3.078 million acres. The figure was also the lowest in three years and the second-lowest since 2012. Dry pea plantings will decline in all three Prairie provinces, most notably Saskatchewan where it will lose 16.6 per cent for a total of 1.479 million. The 2025-26 carryout for dry peas was 1.31 million tonnes, nearly triple from the previous year.

The amount of edible bean acres is projected to decline by 30.7 per cent at 295,000 acres, the smallest total since 2015 and one year after the biggest edible bean crop since 2020. Manitoba’s seeded area was estimated at 120,000 tonnes this year, down 44.7 per cent from 2025.

StatCan estimated faba beans acres this spring to total 55,900, 18.8 per cent lower than in 2025 and the fewest acres since 2016. It would also mark the fourth straight time faba bean acres in Canada declined year-by-year.

Chickpeas were the only pulse to buck the trend. Canadians are expected to use 6.3 per cent more land than last year to grow the crop at 575,000 acres. It would be the fifth straight yearly increase for chickpeas and its largest seeded area since 2001. This is despite 2026 ending stocks for chickpeas having more than quadrupled from the year before at 275,000 tonnes.

The planting survey was conducted from mid-December to mid-January. However, rising fertilizer prices tied to the escalating conflict in the Middle East could shift planting intentions, said Glacier FarmMedia analyst Bruce Burnett. He said the relatively lower input costs for pulse crops compared to other options could lead to more area going to peas and lentils this spring than earlier expectations.

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Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton said there is a wide gap between March prices in Edmonton and Lethbridge due to the amount of corn coming into the southern half of the province. However, the discrepancy is narrowing for April delivery.

“Elevators are paying C$5.70 (per bushel for feed barley) delivered in the Edmonton region, and when you take the feed barley price picked up in the Lethbridge region, it would only be C$5.10, C$5.15 in the March timeframe picked up in the yard,” Leclerc explained.

“It seems like if we look into April, they’re starting to match. So it will be interesting to see if they get closer or not, because there is more corn coming into the Lethbridge area.”

Strong export programs at elevators for feed barley are keeping prices elevated, she added, diminishing the grain’s market advantage over corn. Leclerc also said mild weather and higher prices have resulted in increased grain movement.

More markets coverage: World’s winter wheat crops look good for now

“More people are taking advantage of the markets that are there,” she said.

Other grains are also making their way into feedlots to fulfill their feed ratios.

“We’re seeing some more wheat being picked up by feedlots,” Leclerc said. “We’re seeing more demand for feed pulses like feed peas and fabas. There is still a lot of demand for feed oats.”

Feed grain prices should start to see their perennial spring rallies at around April, she added.

Delivered feed barley prices in Alberta ranged from C$4.90 to C$5.88/bu., down four cents from the previous week, said Prairie Ag Hotwire on Feb. 11. Those in Manitoba were from C$4.60 to C$4.61, down two cents, while a price of C$5.00 was reported in Saskatchewan, unchanged from the week before.

For feed wheat, delivered prices in Alberta ranged from C$6.31 to C$7.59/bu., down three cents from seven days earlier. Manitoba reported a price of C$5.86, while Saskatchewan had a price of C$7.00, with both unchanged.

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“We were looking at some pretty difficult circumstances,” Penner said, referencing the trade issues Canada had with China and India over the last year, and emphasized the cyclical nature of the markets.

“Right now, I believe we are at the low part of the cycle, which means we will be coming up the other side. It’s just a matter of timing,” he said.

Penner said Canadian pulse growers had one of their biggest harvests, but not necessarily due to the most planted area in five years nor the August rains.

“It was the mild summer,” he stated. “It’s the temperatures that gave us the big yields this year.”

Export competition

Penner cautioned that foreign competitors such as Russia also had sizeable pulse crops with it gleaning about five million tonnes of peas alone.

On the positive side, he said China is set to remove its 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian pea imports come March 1.

“We’ll see how much of an appetite they have left for peas,” Penner said, noting that China’s pea inventories are at 20-year lows.

China/India

He said it’s very likely China will continue buying Russian peas for feed and purchase the better quality Canadian peas for fractionation.

Although India ended its duty-free period on its pea imports in November, as a means to boost domestic prices, Penner said Canadian bids surprisingly haven’t declined.

He forecast China and India to each import about 800,000 tonnes of Canadian peas in 2025/26. However, he lamented that it will still leave large ending stocks.

Penner based his estimate that on average pea yields of 35 bu./ac., down from 42.3. He placed planted area at 3.15 million acres compared to 3.51 million in 2025/26. That put 2026/27 production at 2.94 million tonnes versus 3.93 million this year.

Lentils

As with peas, Canadian growers reaped a large lentil crop but so did its competitors, including Australia at about 1.91 million tonne, Penner said.

“We’re not the only show in town anymore,” he noted, but cautioned that other major lentil-producing countries such as Turkey, the United States, Kazakhstan are set to plant less in 2026/27.

The price differences between Canada and Australia should help the former’s exports. Penner cited Canadian red lentils at about US$350 per tonne, versus US$450 for Australian reds.

Although India’s lentil imports are off to a good start, he stressed their domestic prices are at multi-year lows. Currently, India has a 10 per cent import duty on lentils, and Penner warned that could increase.

If India were to triple its levy to 30 per cent, he’s confident that won’t hurt Canada’s lentils exports to the country.

He said the best hope for Canadian lentils in 2026/27 is for increased exports, farmers to reduce their acres and to get average yields.

Penner said if lentil yields fall from 1,722 pounds per acre this year to an average of 1,213 in 2026/27, coupled with reduced planted acres of 3.90 million compared to 4.38 million this year, that will help reduce ending stocks.

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Wheat

• Total Canadian wheat stocks as of Dec. 31 of 27.5 million tonnes were up by 5.9 per cent from the same point the previous year, and well above the five-year average of 23.6 million tonnes.

• On-farm stocks at 24.1 million tonnes were up 7.2 per cent on the year, while commercial stocks were down 2.7 per cent at 3.4 million tonnes.

• Of the total, durum stocks were up by 18.5 per cent on the year at 5.3 million tonnes.

Canola

• Canola stocks as of Dec. 31, 2025, were up 18.8 per cent on the year at 15.6 million tonnes. On-farm stocks were up 21.2 per cent at 14.3 million tonnes, while commercial stocks dipped by 7.4 per cent at 1.3 million tonnes.

• StatCan linked the larger canola supplies to increased production and a sharp drop 36.1 per cent drop in exports due to Chinese tariffs.

Barley

• Barley stocks were up 16.7 per cent on the year at 5.7 million tonnes. That compares with the five-year average of 4.8 million tonnes.

Pulses

• Lentil stocks of just under three million tonnes were roughly double what was on hand at the same point the previous year.

• Pea stocks were 77.5 per cent higher on the year, at 3.0 million tonnes.

Corn/soybeans

• Corn stocks were down 3.3 per cent from the same point a year ago, at 10.9 million tonnes.

• Soybeans stocks were 26.6 per cent lower on the year at 3.2 million tonnes.

The post Large Prairie crops lead to increased December stocks appeared first on Country Guide.

Peas

• Canada exported 155,841 tonnes of peas in November, which was down by 44 per cent from October. Crop year-to-date pea exports of just over one million tonnes compares with 1.266 million at the same point in 2024/25.
• Bangladesh was the largest destination for peas in November, but India remains the top customer for the year at 416,405 tonnes through four months.
• Yellow peas account for 87 per cent of the total pea exports.
• Crop year-to-date pea exports to China of 90,454 tonnes are down 73 per cent on the year, as Chinese tariffs limited movement earlier in the marketing year. Expectations are for exports to China to pick up in March when tariffs are lifted.

Lentils

• Canadian lentil exports in November of 184,070 tonnes were down 37 per cent from the previous month, with crop year-to-date exports of 775,370 tonnes down 6.6 per cent from the same point the previous year.
• The United Arab Emirates was the largest lentil destination in November, taking 41,636 tonnes, but India remains the top importer of Canadian lentils on the year at 232,112 tonnes through four months.

Chickpeas

• Canada exported 28,338 tonnes of chickpeas in November, up by about 10,000 tonnes from the previous month. Crop-year-to-date chickpea exports of 73,877 tonnes were 39 per cent above the previous year.
• The United States was the largest destination for chickpeas through four months, accounting for 21.5 per cent of the total. Pakistan, Turkey, Italy and Israel round out the top five.

Edible beans

• Canada has exported 79,778 tonnes of dry edible beans through November, with roughly half of that headed to the United States. Year-to-date 2025/26 edible bean exports are up 8.3 per cent from the same point the previous year.
• Edible bean exports in November of 26,356 tonnes were up 6.5 per cent from October.

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Schmidt said the Calgary office hasn’t traded in yellow peas since around Jan. 21.

“Some buyers have been cooling off,” he said, noting the yellows fetched C$7.50 to C$8 per bushel picked up, with delivered around C$8.25/bu. and free on board farm close to that range as well.

Prairie Ag Hotwire reported old crop yellow peas increased by 36 cents during the week ended Jan. 26, at C$6.75 to C$8.25/bu. delivered. The new crop prices were C$6.30 to C$6.65/bu. delivered.

Canada-China deal

The impetus for the increase was the agreement Canada and China reached on Jan. 16, to reduce tariffs on each other come March 1. While Canada will slash its levy on Chinese-made electric vehicles from 100 per cent to 6.1 per cent, China will drop is duties on Canadian yellow peas, canola seed and canola meal from to 15 per cent.

While pea prices are better, Schmidt said some farmers had issues growing them.

“Some guys might be a bit standoffish” when they consider seeding them come spring, he noted. But he said farmers will likely stick with their crop rotations in 2026/27, making a few adjustments.

Also, Schmidt pointed out that Canada and China are still going back and forth on trade issues. He wasn’t sure if pulses were going to be included in forthcoming trade discussions between Canada and India.

AAFC projections for 2026/27

On Jan. 21, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada released its monthly supply and demand estimates, including their initial projections for 2026/27.

For dry peas, AAFC forecast planted area at 1.20 million hectares, down from 1.42 million in 2025/26. The yield is expected to drop from 2.85 tonnes per hectare to 2.43, with production slotted at 2.85 million tonnes, compared to 3.93 million last year.

Total domestic use is to remain relatively stable at 680,000 tonnes and exports are bump up by 200,000 tonnes at 2.70 million. Ending stocks are to retreat from 1.27 million tonnes to 755,000.

The post Pulse Weekly: Spike in yellow peas slowing appeared first on Country Guide.

China announced Jan. 16 it was entirely dropping 100 per cent tariffs imposed last March on other Canadian agricultural imports, including yellow peas.

Greg Cherewyk, president of Pulse Canada, said seeing the duty removed from yellow peas brings a sense of relief to growers.

“Canada’s been exporting to China for 30 years, and in the last 10 years, China’s become the largest importer of yellow peas in the world,” Cherewyk said. “To have been shut out of the largest market in the world … was pretty impactful for this industry.”

He also expects Canadian yellow pea shipments to China to resume immediately after the tariffs are lifted, adding that Canada typically exports 100,000 tonnes of yellow peas per month to China on average. However, Cherewyk warned there are many factors which can affect the amount, including demand from the animal feed, human food and pet food industries.

Despite the upcoming removal of China’s tariffs on Canadian yellow peas, India has been imposing a 30 per cent tariff on them since October. Pulse Canada is watching the Indian market closely as numerous factors including food prices, domestic production and politics can abruptly alter India’s trade strategy.

“We always have to be mindful of what’s happening in India. It’s a massive market, an important market for Canada,” he said. “With that being said, we are looking forward to free trade negotiations hopefully soon between Canada and India and hoping to get some predictability.”

Because of India’s tariffs, Pulse Canada has intensified its focus on adding new trade partners for Canadian pulses, with a priority on gaining footholds in the animal feed and pet food markets.

“We have been doing feeding trials throughout what we call the Indo-Pacific or Asia-Pacific, generating interest in that region. We’re doing that work now into Mexico, as well,” Cherewyk said.

“The diversification effort doesn’t stop with the lifting of the tariffs in China. We’ll continue to do that work because it’s still incredibly important that we have other outlets for our products so that we’re not so heavily reliant on a handful of markets in the world.”

Cherewyk added that Pulse Canada is looking to have lentil exports make inroads into the United States and European Union, while also promoting other crops under Pulse Canada’s umbrella.

“From peas to lentils to chickpeas and edible beans to faba beans, there’s work happening in food markets, pet food as well as animal feed,” he said.

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