Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116Canaryseed AS the world’s largest producer of canar- yseed, Saskatchewan may seem to have the market sewn up. But, work under- taken by the Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan (CDCS) to position canaryseed as human food may inadvertently provide some opportunities for Alberta seed growers. In early 2016, canaryseed received “novel food” approval from Health Canada thanks largely to a producer levy that allowed the application to proceed. “The birdseed market doesn’t seem to be expanding, so in order to expand, we needed to find a new market,” explains Kevin Hursh, the executive director of CDCS and a canaryseed grower. “Canary- seed is gluten-free, which would give it a fit in that market. It can be ground into flour for cookies or bread and would be good for whole seed uses.” Getting the human food designation is just the beginning and a great deal more work has to be done before consumers will find canaryseed snacks or products on grocery story shelves. The production of canaryseed would likely not change sig- nificantly, but management of the crop for human use will require much more care. “There are many issues to deal with, such as determining which crop health products can be used, if the seed is for human consumption,” says Pierre Hucl, a canaryseed researcher at University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. “We are cur- rently examining protein content, mineral content and oil content. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we believe it could offer an alternative to consumers with allergies and it could be a replacement for sesame seeds.” While the technology to produce canar- yseed is available, adjustments would be needed to grow the crop for human consumption. “If you grow wheat, you can grow canaryseed,” says Hursh. “But, for human consumption, such as gluten- free, there are management requirements to maintain the designation. You have to avoid cross-contamination with crops like wheat and barley.” As well, there are two types of canary- seed – hairy and hairless. Hursh says 60 per cent of the canaryseed grown is hairy. The other 40 per cent of the market is the hairless type and it is seeds from this type that received human consumption approval. Meanwhile, Dr. Hucl has developed a yellow canaryseed variety that is much more visually appealing than the commonly seen brown seeds, and it is anticipated the yellow seeds will be more acceptable to consumers. Hursh says commercial seed for the yellow varieties may be available in the next year or two. “Canaryseed is also a low yielding crop,” notes Dr. Hucl. “But it has high protein, about 18 per cent, and a high oil content at between seven and nine per cent. This makes it unique and could add to the appeal.” Whether for food use or the conven- tional birdseed market, work is underway to develop higher yielding varieties and better weed control options. Growing canaryseed for human consumption is only the first step as the food use approval is for dehulled seed which means commercial dehulling equipment will have to be calibrated to accommodate canaryseed. There is also the issue of keeping what would amount to two types of canaryseed separate to avoid cross contamination between seed intended for the avian market and that intended for humans. In the birdseed market, canaryseed can be stored for long periods and shipped when prices improve, but that New Opportunity for Canaryseed? 34 Even with a human food designation, canaryseed demand will not be increasing soon. While the technology to produce canaryseed is available, adjustments would be needed to grow the crop for human consumption.