Farms.com Home   News

Canada's pulse growers thriving while other producers struggle, says national pulse spokesman

Canada’s pulse growers are going against the grain – in a good way. They’re thriving while many other commodity producers in the country are struggling, says chef Michael Smith, who travels the world on behalf of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.
 
Smith was at Canada’s Farm Progress Show, attending a grower recognition event in celebration of International Year of Pulses. He is Canada’s ambassador for the United Nations first sanctioned year of pulses – dried beans, dry peas, lentils and chickpeas.
 
“It’s extremely rare in the last 100 years to see any commodity crop with huge growing demand and high prices,” Smith said. “This is good stuff!”
 
As Canada’s pulse-crops ambassador, Smith is trying to spread the message to Canadians that the rest of the world holds Canadian-grown pulses in high esteem. “So maybe we should too.”
 
“I come from a rural Canadian community surrounded by farmers,” said Smith, a Prince Edward Island-based chef, who has garnered a reputation as a passionate advocate for Canadian agriculture. “I know how much hard work goes into this.”
 
So having an opportunity to help the country’s pulse growers celebrate – “a chance to pat these guys on the back” – was a real treat for him, he said.
 
“I built a career as a chef on understanding the real human effort that goes into producing ingredients and a tight, close connection to farmers… I am thrilled to have this opportunity, especially when it’s such a success story. Everybody likes to be on a winning team.”
 
Saskatchewan’s booming pulse production is in stark contrast to what Smith is seeing in his home province, where potatoes have become a declining commodity.
 
“We have multi-generation farmers that are not passing their farms on to the next generation,” he said. “And then I come out here to Saskatchewan and see the farming families – they are young and they are first-generation (farmers). You don’t see that a lot. That’s not the norm, to have people come into farming. That’s a very different story than just 10 years ago.”
 
Source : Leaderpost

Trending Video

Easy cleanup with a new blue polymeric colourant in Vibrance® Total pulse seed treatment

Video: Easy cleanup with a new blue polymeric colourant in Vibrance® Total pulse seed treatment

The blue polymeric colourant in Vibrance® Total pulse fungicide seed treatment offers both ease of treating and cleanup.