Record Canadian Specialty Harvest

VANCOUVER - Dec 8/04 - SNS -- Canada's specialty crop harvest blasted through old records this year to total 5.24 million metric tons (MT), compared to just 3.68 million MT last year and the previous high of 4.94 million MT produced in 2000.

In accomplishing this, western Canada's pulse and other specialty crop growers produced record field pea, lentil and canaryseed crops; and the third largest mustard seed crop in Canadian history.

Pulse seedings also established new record this year, with the total area reaching 7.78 million acres, up from the previous high of 7.77 million acres planted in 2002. Lentils, field peas and canaryseed also established new seeded area records.

Equally remarkable was the devastation suffered by soybean and dry edible bean producers in Manitoba, where terrible harvest weather conditions forced growers to abandon 48.6% of this year's soybean crop, harvesting just 110,000 out of 210,000 acres to produce a 44,900 MT crop.

They also abandoned 45% of their dry edible bean crops, harvesting just 110,000 acres out of the 200,000 acres of edible beans sown in 2004. The seeded and harvested area was split evenly between colored and white beans.

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