Ottawa Ponies Up to Support Pulse Demand

The federal government has ponied up new funding to help sustain both export and domestic demand for Canadian pulses.

 

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Thursday announced up to $1.6 million for Pulse Canada to “maintain high value markets and position Canada as a preferred supplier of pulse products.”

 

The funding will provide support for two main activities including the establishment of harmonized pulse ingredient standards, and the development of data and tools to build awareness about the sustainability benefits of Canadian pulses and cropping systems that include pulses, according to a government release. The work is expected to allow Pulse Canada to generate tools and data that highlight the consistent quality and nutritional density of Canadian pulses, along with the environmental benefits of the industry.

 

“Our industry is committed to innovation in products and services to increase markets for Canadian pulses, which deliver consistent quality, nutrition and sustainability as core values,” said Gord Bacon, Chief Executive Officer, Pulse Canada.

 

The money comes at a time when Canadian pea and lentil exports (and prices) have fallen amid the implementation of punishing import tariffs in late 2017 by India, one of Canada’s main pulse buyers. For example, Canadian dry pea exports for the 2018-19 crop year are currently estimated by Agriculture Canada at 3.2 million tonnes, up slightly from a year earlier but down sharply from nearly 4 million in 2016-17. For the 2019-20 crop year, Ag Canada is projecting dry pea exports at 3.1 million tonnes.

 

Canada is the world’s largest exporter of pulse crops and the largest producer and exporter of peas and lentils globally.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.