Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG), Walker Seeds Ltd. (WSL), the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and Keg Agro Ltd. have signed an agreement designed to advance the bean industry in Saskatchewan.

“This agreement will put Saskatchewan on the map as a pinto bean exporter because the new variety will only be grown and processed in Saskatchewan,” said SPG Chairman Dean Corbett.  “This is Canada’s first pinto bean variety that stays fresh looking and lighter coloured longer than conventional pinto bean varieties, which tend to darken over time.”

Under the seven-year agreement, Walker Seeds Ltd. and Keg Agro Ltd. will be licensed to produce, process and market all slow darkening pinto beans developed by the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, including variety 1533-15, which is currently in its first year of pedigreed seed production.  Walker Seeds will contract the production of the beans and will be responsible for promotion and marketing to end use customers.  Keg Agro Ltd. will process the beans. Big Dog Farms based in Oxbow, Saskatchewan and Willner Agri Ltd. based in Davidson, Saskatchewan will be involved in seed multiplication.

SPG and the CDC have a long-standing commercialization agreement, whereby all pulse varieties developed by the CDC are released through SPG’s Variety Release Program.  Since slow darkening pinto beans are unique, they are being treated differently by the Variety Release Program. 

“We want to keep them completely separated from other pinto bean varieties so that their identity is preserved and the end market can take full advantage of their unique characteristics,” said Dr. Bert Vandenberg, the CDC breeder developing the varieties.  “Walker Seeds and Keg Agro are providing the key – a direct link from the breeding program to the marketplace.”

Dr. Kirstin Bett with the U of S department of plant sciences and graduate student Donna Junk have shown that the slow darkening beans can maintain colour for more than one year.  Most other pinto varieties show noticeable signs of darkening by six months and sometimes much sooner than this depending on harvest and storage conditions.

One of the biggest market opportunities for pinto beans is in North America.  When the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into full effect in 2008-09 and Mexican tariffs on pinto beans are removed, Canada will have an opportunity to compete because of lower land and production costs.  The NAFTA pinto bean market is very sensitive to quality, with colour and freshness as the biggest quality concerns. 

“Pinto beans are the most widely consumed bean variety in the USA and a major consumer group is Hispanic Americans,” said Gildardo Silva, WSL’s Sales Manager for Latin America and Europe. “Pinto beans are also one of the most popular varieties in northern Mexico.  Because product freshness is associated with a white shiny colour, CDC’s new slow darkening pintos will be an ideal fit for these markets.”
 
BACKGROUND

Based in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Walker Seeds Ltd. (WSL) is one of the largest special crops processors and exporters in Canada. Through a network of sales offices in North America and Asia, WSL serves customers in over 60 countries and is a market leader in the global trade of peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas and canaryseed
 
Keg Farms Ltd. and Keg Agro Ltd. of Outlook, Saskatchewan are owned by Keith and Grant Carlson. They are long-term growers and processors of pulses.
 
The Crop Development Centre was established in 1971 as a plant breeding and applied research group within the department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan.  Major funding support is provided by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, the Western Grains Research Foundation, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and project funding from many other organizations.  Its mission is to increase the diversification of crops and their products for the farmers and agriculture industry of Saskatchewan by improving existing crops, creating new uses for traditional crops, and introducing new crops. Since its inception, the CDC has released 92 pulse crop varieties including 32 lentil, 20 pea, 22 bean, 13 chickpea and five fababean varieties.

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers represents over 20,000 pulse crop producers in Saskatchewan.  Accountable to growers and funded through a mandatory check-off, SPG has a producer-elected board of directors comprised of seven pulse growers.  With a legislated mandate to build a prosperous pulse industry in Saskatchewan, SPG invests in research and market development and promotes sustainable innovation, growth and success through leadership, collaboration and support.