We could see a bit of a shift in pulse acres this year, as compared to last year.

Sherrilyn Phelps is the Agronomy and Seed Program Manager with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.

She says there’s a lot of interest in some area areas of the Province around Fababean production.

"Huge nitrogen fixation capacity, it's the highest nitrogen fixing grain crop that we grow here on the prairies," Phelps said. "However for the southwest corner, it's really not that suited and the reason being is twofold, one is it has a high moisture requirement so you need good moisture to get yields that are economical to grow the crop. The second is sensitive to heat."      

Phelps says they recommend that first-time growers need to decide what market they're trying to break into.

She also said they have see a real interest in soybeans for the coming year.

"It's more of a newer crop to Saskatchewan, some of it's a fallout from the increased acres in Manitoba, the southeast corner province has been wetter and they've been able to grow soybeans successfully," she said. "Last year was a tremendous year for soybeans in terms of the yields and the economics, so it's just another attractive crop for growers. 

Market Analyst Larry Weber’s column in the latest Pulse Market Report suggests, that the seeded acreage forecasts in Saskatchewan for this spring have been declining steadily in peas and lentils while rising marginally for chickpeas and soybeans.