Farmers planted 5,000 acres of caraway in 2016
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Between the yellow fields of canola and other crops that make up Saskatchewan’s ag industry, producers are also slowly adding specialty crops.
One such option is caraway. This seeds of this biennial crop are used for flavouring and contain essential oils. The crop is part of Canada’s spice market, which is worth $5 to $10 million annually.
Saskatchewan farmers planted about 5,000 acres of caraway in 2016, the province’s ag ministry says.
Some of those caraway acres belong to Shane Stokke, who dedicated about 200 acres of his 2,500-acre farm near Watrous, Sask. to the crop in 2015. In previous years, he planted nearly 600 acres of the crop.
He also produces flax, coriander and canola.
Harvest is only a few weeks away and the caraway crop is performing well, he said.
“The crop looks really good,” he told Farms.com today. “We had really good seed set and there’s no disease or weeds in the field right now, so I’m excited to harvest the crop.
“After I swath it, I let it lay for about a week before I combine it. By the middle of August, harvest should be complete.”
Once the caraway is harvested, farmers have some favourable marketing opportunities.
Growers can earn about $2,200 per tonne, the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation says.
But farmers must be willing to practice patience in order to see good returns, Stokke said.
“Caraway isn’t as fluid as other crops in terms of its marketing,” he said. “You’ll more than likely have to wait for a buyer to want the crop, meaning you’ll need to hold onto it for a while.”
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