The Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan held its annual general meeting yesterday as part of Crop Production Week.

Chuck Penner with Leftfield Commodity gave the market report at the meeting.

Canaryseed is a speculative crop that producers tend to hang on to until prices increase.

Over the last few months, prices have been static at about 20 cents a pound.

Executive Director Kevin Hursh fills us in on what Chuck had to say.

"He said that the Argentinian crop acreage is quite a bit lower than normal," said Hursh. "Now their acreages aren't as big compared to ours, but they are a competitor in some of those central American markets. He suggested that it wouldn't take too many of these factors to fall into to place to see that 25 cents again."

 Hursh says while the novel food use market is still developing researchers have been working on developing new varieties to fit that market:

"For the first time a yellow-seeded canaryseed will be available," he said. "This new variety is called CDC. It's the first yellow-seeded variety and some human food uses is believed that the yellow seed will be preferable and that is going to be available to producers through Canterra seeds for the first time this spring."

The food use market, he says, has been hampered by the lack of de-hulling capacity noting that InfaReady products in Saskatoon has de-hulled some product and CanPulse Foods is setting up a de-hulling processor at its Zealandia plant.

Right now in Saskatchewan, Canaryseed is a small acreage crop with about 250 thousand acres going in.
 
The crop is mainly exported into the birdseed market in Mexico and the European Union.