Crop quality casts long shadow

Crop Production Week and the Western Canadian Crop Production Show are next week in Saskatoon. One of the overriding themes is going to be crop quality. The Pulse Growers have a session devoted to understanding lentil quality. Lentil grading has been a nightmare. At the Saskatchewan Seed Growers meeting, the presentation by Bruce Carriere of Discovery Seed Labs will outline all the problems pedigreed seed is facing. Crop quality will no doubt come up at the Canadian Wheat Board day, the Pulse Growers meeting, the SaskFlax meeting, the oats meeting and the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers meeting because in many cases, the poor quality of the 2010 crop ties into the market outlook going forward. Top quality product is in much tighter supply than the overall carryout stocks would suggest. The producers attending the trade show will also have crop quality on their minds as they check out the prices offered by buyers for various grades and as they check out seed cleaning and treating equipment. Producers are making their plans for the upcoming growing season, but the poor quality of the 2010 crop has wide-reaching ramifications. I’m Kevin Hursh.