source: Farm and Food Report
The new Canaryseed Association of Canada is pondering the need to implement a levy, and is looking for input from growers.
Ray McVicar is helping the new organization develop, a task he willingly took on and part of his responsibilities as the Provincial Specialist for special crops at Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization.
“Currently, canaryseed is used only as birdfeed, either for wild birds or caged birds, so it is a very finite market,” McVicar says. “The demand is very stable. With Saskatchewan being the largest producer and exporter of this crop in the world, if we have a drought or low production, the price goes up, but if we have good production and oversupply, the price goes down. We don’t just want to grow more canaryseed: we would like to expand markets and do some research on plant breeding and agronomy.”
Canaryseed is almost an undomesticated crop. There are only five varieties registered, two of which were registered last year. There has not been a lot of research carried out on canaryseed: in fact, it has been almost ignored. The only plant-breeding program is in Saskatoon. It has always been funded on a small scale because the plant breeder was forward-thinking enough to add canaryseed into his workplan and applied for funding to run the project.
There are an estimated 1,200 canaryseed farmers in Saskatchewan— and around 70 members in the producers’ association. Obviously, running a research program on membership fees alone is not possible. By putting aside a small amount of money when farmers sell the product, the levy would, in effect, generate interest in the crop — “it would give more power to the grower,” according to McVicar.
Rumour has it there are three box cars of canaryseed used in New York City each day, shipped out of Saskatchewan. It is sent to the large urban centres of the world. Big buyers are New York City, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Western Europe— locations with big urban centres where caged birds are popular pets.
Canaryseed is about a $45-75 million a year crop in terms of exports for Saskatchewan. It tends to be concentrated in two main areas of the province — the West-Central area, encompassing about 40 per cent of the production, and the Regina Plain.
The Annual General Meeting takes place in Eston on the afternoon of February 10. There will be a speaker to talk about marketing, markets and prices, and a speaker on canaryseed agronomy test plots in the area last year. The plant breeder from Saskatoon will come as well to elaborate on the type of research that is needed and the level of funding that will be needed to carry it out.
This check-off issue will figure prominently on the AGM agenda. The Board will look for guidance, and surely it will manifest itself, for “Eston is the heart of canaryseed country, and that’s why the AGM will be held there,” quips McVicar.
For more information, contact:
Ray McVicar
Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization
(306) 787-4665
The new Canaryseed Association of Canada is pondering the need to implement a levy, and is looking for input from growers.
Ray McVicar is helping the new organization develop, a task he willingly took on and part of his responsibilities as the Provincial Specialist for special crops at Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization.
“Currently, canaryseed is used only as birdfeed, either for wild birds or caged birds, so it is a very finite market,” McVicar says. “The demand is very stable. With Saskatchewan being the largest producer and exporter of this crop in the world, if we have a drought or low production, the price goes up, but if we have good production and oversupply, the price goes down. We don’t just want to grow more canaryseed: we would like to expand markets and do some research on plant breeding and agronomy.”
Canaryseed is almost an undomesticated crop. There are only five varieties registered, two of which were registered last year. There has not been a lot of research carried out on canaryseed: in fact, it has been almost ignored. The only plant-breeding program is in Saskatoon. It has always been funded on a small scale because the plant breeder was forward-thinking enough to add canaryseed into his workplan and applied for funding to run the project.
There are an estimated 1,200 canaryseed farmers in Saskatchewan— and around 70 members in the producers’ association. Obviously, running a research program on membership fees alone is not possible. By putting aside a small amount of money when farmers sell the product, the levy would, in effect, generate interest in the crop — “it would give more power to the grower,” according to McVicar.
Rumour has it there are three box cars of canaryseed used in New York City each day, shipped out of Saskatchewan. It is sent to the large urban centres of the world. Big buyers are New York City, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Western Europe— locations with big urban centres where caged birds are popular pets.
Canaryseed is about a $45-75 million a year crop in terms of exports for Saskatchewan. It tends to be concentrated in two main areas of the province — the West-Central area, encompassing about 40 per cent of the production, and the Regina Plain.
The Annual General Meeting takes place in Eston on the afternoon of February 10. There will be a speaker to talk about marketing, markets and prices, and a speaker on canaryseed agronomy test plots in the area last year. The plant breeder from Saskatoon will come as well to elaborate on the type of research that is needed and the level of funding that will be needed to carry it out.
This check-off issue will figure prominently on the AGM agenda. The Board will look for guidance, and surely it will manifest itself, for “Eston is the heart of canaryseed country, and that’s why the AGM will be held there,” quips McVicar.
For more information, contact:
Ray McVicar
Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization
(306) 787-4665
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