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World Pulses Day marks importance of growing economic sector

BRANDON - Agricultural producers around the globe celebrated a critical crop last week with World Pulses Day on Feb. 10.
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Pulse crops, peas, beans, lentils, are a an option for many farmers. (File Photo)

BRANDON - Agricultural producers around the globe celebrated a critical crop last week with World Pulses Day on Feb. 10.

Pulses — chickpeas, dry beans, lentils, dry peas, lupins and  other legumes — are a pivotal and growing global market, said Daryl  Domitruk, the executive director for Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.

This has been shown by the attention they have received from  the United Nations. The plants are important from a nutritional  perspective because they play a major role in the diets of people across  the globe — especially in areas where meat is less readily available.

"They have a long history of providing protein and nutrition to  these populations and lately their value in western diets, for example,  populations like Canada, their value is a great source of protein and  fibre," Domitruk said. "Their importance is truly global."

Each pulse is unique with one-of-a-kind characteristics,  Domitruk said. Generally speaking, field peas thrive in a dry cycle, dry  beans are a high management crop, fava beans are proving to be vigorous  under a range of conditions and soybeans tend to thrive with a little  extra moisture.

"There’s a real range within the legume family and it’s kind of a good thing. It can give farmers that power of choice," Domitruk said.

The majority of agronomists recommend having crop rotations that include legumes in combination with a cereal crop.

Manitoba Pulse and Soybeans Growers are collaborating with  other organizations to ensure people in the industry and the population  at large are aware of three major things about pulses: the nutritional  value of the plants, ensuring consumers and industry players are aware  of the affordability of pulses as a source for protein, and the value of  the sustainability of the crops.

It has been an exciting year for pulse growers in Manitoba with  the addition of the world’s largest pea protein plant constructed by  Roquette in Portage la Prairie, and the MERIT Functional Foods  Corporation plant in Winnipeg.

"Manufacturing foods from the basic crops that we grow here is a  real economic kick-starter, especially for the rural economy," Domitruk  said. "It is an exciting time and it is an interesting time."

The province is growing its pulse industry, he said, noting  Manitoba is not a big producer of pulses and soybeans compared to other  provinces. Saskatchewan and Alberta produce greater quantities of  pulses, while Ontario produces more soybeans.

"If we wanted to really get the maximum goodness out of these  crops having more food processing is a really good incentive. There are  new local markets for farmers, so it’s an incentive for farmers to look  at these crops as viable businesses on their farms," Domitruk said.

The growing processing industry is solidifying market demands,  giving farmers the confidence to set aside a year for a legume knowing  there will flexibility in the market.

Manitoba boasts a dry bean industry that dates back decades. It  was concentrated in certain areas of the province and saw the products  being cleaned, dried and exported. Over time, there have been small  businesses that have processed peas in southwest Manitoba, and there  have been areas that on a small scale cleaned and bagged various pulses.

The recent construction of the Roquette and MERIT plants marks  the next major step for the industry and a movement toward a large  industrial economy of scale processing.

"It really is a function of the growing global appetite for protein isolate," Domitruk said.

The latest generation of processing is about fractioning peas  and feeding the global market for pea protein isolates, bringing a whole  other level of sophistication in food processing.

He noted many pulses also have a lower carbon footprint  compared to other foods, because they are able to work with microbes in  the soil to acquire nitrogen nutrition through the natural process of  symbiotic nitrogen fixation, adding to their desirability as a crop.

"The bottom line is they do not require the application of  synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which is one of the larger contributors  to greenhouse gas emissions in modern agriculture," Domitruk said.

On the economic side, these naturally occurring processes help reduce the bill farmers have to pay for crop nutrition.

"Economics is a huge part of the sustainability equation,"  Domitruk said. "In addition to the environmental side where we are  reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there’s also an upside to farm  economics from reduced costs for fertilizer purchases."

Ben Martens, of the family-run farm Martens Charolais and Seed  in Boissevain, described pulses as a "good news story" in terms of  sustainability because they produce their own nitrogen on the farm to a  large extent. Martens currently sits on the board of directors for the  Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.

He introduced the first pulse into the farm’s crop rotation  after learning about the plan from Manitoba Ag. At the time, they were  referred to as a special crop.

It is a careful balance of choosing which plant to grow each year.

Martens has set up a rotation at the farm and is trying to grow  a pulse every three or four years. He traditionally grows cereal and  canola, along with a pulse. He developed a system that works well on the  farm and a focus has been on black beans for the past 10 or 20 years.

"You can’t grow pulses too often or else you run into problems," Martens said.

The major advantage of pulses and soybeans is that they are  quite sustainable based on fertilizer requirements — an important  attribute given growing environmental concerns around the world.

Manitoba Pulse and Soybean growers are hard at work, helping  the pulse industry grow, he said, and most of the growers on the board  are volunteers. The organization serves as a pivotal area where  important research initiatives are taking place.

"It’s a way for producers to get involved, but it is also  important that everyone realize the work that producers are doing  because it’s there for everybody — the research, the benefits, the  knowledge we’ve gained," Martens said.