A majority of interviewees believe that SK farmers prefer to grow lentils because of the drier climate, the profitability of the crop, the lack of alternatives in SK compared to AB, and the lack of irrigation. [...] The goal of the interviews was to identify specific people or conditions that motivated farmers to grow lentils in SK versus growing dry peas in AB, the institutional support for the expansion of lentil and dry pea acres, as well as specific production issues that growers from both provinces have been experiencing with pulses. [...] You know? […]” (Professional agronomist C) or on the oil industry impact on AB economy and its effects on agriculture: […] The economics in Alberta are perhaps different for many growers there compared to Saskatchewan and I kinda think it might be related to the oil industry’s impact on farmers in that province and the amount of dollars that are available to growers from the oil industry who allow. [...] One interviewee articulated in greater detail the difference in opportunities between the growers in the two provinces, in terms of growing dry peas because of the livestock industry, which is much more developed in AB, and in terms of not growing lentils because of not being aware of new lentil varieties with improved traits: “[…] Alberta has 40% of all cattle in all of Canada, so there’s much mo. [...] […] Now, the thing with lentils is there’s been two main issues that farmers won’t grow lentils so much in Alberta, and one of them is due to indeterminate growth habit, and the other is due to the low hanging pods, and these were characteristic for the old lentil varieties like the Laird lentil that was common in the ‘80s and the ‘90s.
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- 37
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- Canada
