Farmscape for April 8, 2010   (Episode 3400)

The Canadian Wheat Board expects oilseeds and some pulse crops to be among the more popular cropping options this spring.

With the exception of the northern fringes of the northern grain belt field work is underway in most regions of the prairies with some areas reporting a start to seeding.

Canadian Wheat Board weather and market analysis director Bruce Burnett says soil moisture in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan is reasonably good, but conditions deteriorate rapidly moving west and central and northern Alberta, west central Saskatchewan and parts of northwestern Saskatchewan are relatively dry.

Clip-Bruce Burnett-Canadian Wheat Board:
Certainly right now in terms of the options available for the upcoming year oilseeds, especially canola, is looking to be one of the crops that will increase in acreage.

That could be tempered a little bit if we were to remain dry in the northern and central growing areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan, western Saskatchewan over the next month or so.

The oilseeds and some of the pulse crops look to have a more favorable advantage from a pure economics point of view.

Again unfortunately the cereal crops, oats, barley, wheat, durum wheat all are less favored right now just because prices are lower on the cereal grain side.

Now again if we were to see extended periods of dryness those are the crops that can handle dry conditions maybe a little bit better than some of the other oilseeds and special crops but right now it appears that oilseeds and some pulse crops are favored in terms of the economics given the current prices.

Burnett says as long as we receive average rainfall over the next month or so in those drier areas farmers should be able to stick with their intended acreages.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council