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 11635 Advancing Seed in Alberta | fall.2016 may not be allowed if it is for human consumption. Both Hursh and Hucl agree the food designation is merely the begin- ning of a long road of regulatory hurdles, food research and market development stretching to the horizon. While Saskatchewan has a lock on the birdseed market, the crop is adapted to all soil zones and producers in other regions could certainly produce canaryseed. However, Hursh notes the birdseed market is not expanding, which is what prompted the initiative to pursue it as a human food. Growers who might consider canary- seed as a new cropping option will have to learn the ins and outs of production. For the birdseed market, input management and equipment concerns might not be as great as what may be required when growing it for human consumption. In fact, canaryseed does not require much nitrogen, and potassium chloride is often applied for the chloride and not the potas- sium. The crop does require some man- agement for aphids, weeds and disease, but there aren’t many products registered for use in canaryseed. Currently, Avadex granular is the only product registered for wild oat control in canaryseed. If use for human consumption takes off, more resources may be available to improve weed, disease and pest control options. Prices fluctuate for canaryseed, but it tends to be competitive with returns for other cereal grains. Despite it sounding like a lower man- agement style crop, canaryseed produc- tion isn’t for everyone. Hucl says canaryseed is shallow rooted and therefore does best in clay soils. He says he is unsure where canaryseed is best adapted for production in Alberta, but he is convinced the Calgary/Edmonton corridor would not be a good area for canaryseed growth. In 1995, less than 5,000 hectares of canaryseed was grown in Alberta, accord- ing to a provincial report, and that number hasn’t changed much in the ensuing years with the percentage of canaryseed acres Alberta at less than five. Statistics Canada has no data for hectares of canaryseed in Alberta for 2016. Even in Saskatchewan where roughly 95 per cent of all canary- seed is grown, seeded acres fluctuate with the price. The market opportunities may have to improve substantially in order for Alberta growers to embrace canaryseed and take on the challenge of growing it for human consumption. The industry is still in the very early days of expanding the market for canary- seed, cautions Hursh. But the promise of additional canaryseed markets and uses is exciting and has created anticipation in an industry always in search of alternate crop- ping options. Rosalie I. Tennison In early 2016, canaryseed received “novel food” approval from Health Canada thanks largely to a producer levy that allowed the application to proceed. Photos courtesy CDCS.