GrainsWest Fall 2020

Fall 2020 Grains West 36 According to Daniel Ramage of Cereals Canada, the Cigi training programwill strengthen customer relations and build opportunities for expanded CPSR export. In Colombia and Peru, customers use CPSR to make pasta, a more economical option to durum wheat. In Sri Lanka, it is used for premium quality noodles. The starch component makes the noodles bright in appearance and ensures elasticity. PRICE AND AGRONOMICS KEY TO IMPLEMENTATION Fairview farmer and Alberta Wheat Commission region five director David Bartlett decided to try 300 acres of CPSR in 2014. At the time, he was looking for alternative rotational crops and a financial return, but he was unable to get better yields than he did on CWRS. It was a dry year, so the crop was short, he said. “And I was concerned if I stayed with it long-term, I’d either have to choose between hard red spring and CPSR,” said Bartlett, who was concerned about future cross-contaminating by volunteers. “I had to commit to either one or the other, and given the yields I got and the price at the time, I wasn’t prepared to do that.” Today, though, Bartlett is considering giving CPSR another go, as he’s having difficulty making protein in his CWRS crop and his falling numbers have been low. “If that trend continues, we might as well be growing Canadian Prairie Spring and selling into a medium protein market if we can’t sell into a premium protein market,” said Bartlett. To attract more farmers, there would need to be significantly higher yields in CPS varieties compared to CWRS varieties, said University of Alberta agronomic researcher Sheri Strydhorst. Farmers also want good standability and better pricing. Price information from July 21, 2020, indicated that the price of CPSR in central Alberta was $5.85/bu while the price of CWRS in the same region was $6.67/bu. Given the price of CPSR is approximately 14 per cent lower than that of CWRS, farmers would need a 14 per cent CPSR yield increase to achieve a return comparable to CWRS, said Strydhorst. “Yes, it is true that the protein requirements for Canadian Prairie Spring are 10.5 per cent or better, while CWRS is 13 per cent or better, so there is more risk in achieving a No. 1 or No. 2 grade for CWRS,” she said. “But given the yield difference required to make the two pay the same, many growers are willing to risk it with CWRS cultivars.” FEATURE