Eh Sayers Episode 35 - Pulses: It's not just beans that are magical!

Transcript

Max: Welcome to Eh Sayers, a podcast by Statistics Canada, where we meet the people behind the data and explore the stories behind the numbers. I'm your host Max Zimmerman.

I don't know if this is a hot take or not but beans are easily one of the best vegetables out there. Or fruits I guess, if we're being technical... Their versatility is simply unmatched. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them. From the cuisines of South America to Asia, Europe and beyond, beans are ubiquitous.

Beans are part of this umbrella category of crops that researchers, farmers and those in the know call "pulses". Think legumes. And what I recently learned while perusing our data tables here at StatCan is that Canada is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to producing and exporting these pulses.

In 2024 Canada ranked as the third largest pulse producer in the world. And when it comes to dried peas and lentils, we are the top exporter to the global markets.

Who knew? I thought. So, I did some more digging, and it turns out there's a whole fascinating world of Canadian pulse production just waiting to be discovered.

I was ready to take the plunge, but I couldn't go into this journey alone, I needed a guide. Luckily, I knew just the man for the job.

Omar: My name is Omar Yusuf. I'm currently acting assistant director at Statistics Canada within the agriculture division

Max: Awesome. So hi, Omar. Thank you for coming in and joining us today. One of the main reasons that I wanted to talk to you is because I recently learned that Canada ranked as the third largest pulse producer in the world in 2024.

How did we get here? Has Canada always been a bean and other legume powerhouse for a long time?

Omar: Well, uh, it's quite interesting because the expansion of Canada's pulse industry really accelerated beginning from about the 1980s. Specifically, if we're talking about numbers here at Statistics Canada, it increased, uh, from about 500,000 acres in 1981 to its peak to about 10.5 million acres in 2016.

So that expansion- Wow ... is very clear supported by the numbers. And some... There's, there are several factors that contribute to that expansion. Specifically, you know, we could start by talking about growing conditions, particularly in the prairies, have really been benefiting the growth in pulses. There's also been really impressive research and development of varieties that are much better suited for Canadian soil.

And then there's different kind of breeding programs, partnerships between government, universities, producers, as well as industries, all have contributed to this growth. You could also talk about demand, both internationally and domestically, that has definitely helped with this growth. And then the last thing I would say is perhaps the benefits in terms of crop rotation.

You know, typically, we talk a lot about wheat, canola, but these varieties, the pulse varieties, mixed with other crops really does well in terms of producing some strong yields. So there's a bunch of reasons, Max, in terms of why we're seeing this growth. These are just a few of them.

Max: That's fascinating.

Maybe I got ahead of myself, so I'll take a step back. I keep reading about this term pulses. Can you give us an example of what crops fit under that umbrella?

Omar: Okay. So, um, when we're talking about pulses, we're talking about lentils, dry peas, chickpeas, and dry beans. As well as faba beans could be included.

Max: Okay, cool. So, speaking about lentils, I read that Canada produced 3.4 million tons of lentils in 2025, which is up 38.3% from a year earlier. That seems like a huge jump.

Do we have any info on why lentils specifically are booming as of late?

Omar: I, I think you, you're right to point that out. Lentils are good examples of how drastically and dramatically the industry has changed overall. Acreage and production can fluctuate from year to year, depending on yields, market factors, weather, growing conditions, and variety of different signals coming internationally and domestically.

Agriculture really doesn't move in a single line. Okay. These timely statistics that we are producing help provide a, a really, a realistic picture of what's happening in the industry, and that could be moving up and down depending on the year. So

Max: Right. So yeah, if we were to look at it, we plot on a graph, it's not a straight line, you know, upwards or downwards, it's, it- there's peaks and valleys.

Omar: Exactly. Despite these fluctuations, we are seeing that sustained higher trend there and, and that growth within the industry across the multiple different pulses.

Max: Okay, great. What are pulses worth? Is there big money to be made with these crops? When I think of cash crops, my mind goes to corn, wheat, soy maybe.

I wouldn't necessarily think of beans, lentils, other legumes, or pulses first.

Omar: It goes way beyond just the production. So, when we're talking about worth, there's a huge export market globally that Canadian farmers are tapping into. It's a really good crop to include with other traditional crops as well.

There are some agronomic benefits to including them. And then consistently we're seeing that farm cash receipts is over $3 billion. So, there's, there's a lot of value to incorporate pulses within producers', you know, plans moving forward.

Max: Okay. The beans are booming.

How do we measure pulse production in Canada?

I know obviously the big survey is the Census of Agriculture. Are there other tools or ways that we measure our pulse output?

Omar: Specifically when we're talking about pulses, there are a few key data sources that we use in order to produce these statistics.

First, we have the field crop reporting series, which produces information on area seeded, area harvested, yield production, as well as crop stocks. You mentioned the Census of Agriculture, it's also a very key input to just developing the frame that we use for these survey programs, but we have a variety of other sources that combined help us really build that picture in terms of what's happening within the industry over time as well, so.

Max: Okay. What are the uses for the pulses that are grown here in Canada? I know you already mentioned that we export a lot of them, but are some of the crops that stay in Canada used for human consumption? Are there any other uses?

Omar: Pulses honestly continue to expand on their use. When you're talking human consumption, we're seeing this being integrated in many different diets.

There's also domestic feed use, so for animals. Interestingly, there's a lot of new investment, uh, research projects that Canadians are taking on right now to assess kind of how we want to... what do we wanna do with that protein that's being extracted from the pulses.

Max: And when you say protein extraction, why would we extract protein from the beans?

What is that used for?

Omar: In part it's, it's really a, a link to demand. You know, if you go to the grocery store, you're seeing all of these different marketing activities that are going specifically towards protein. Uh, people want more protein, people want more fiber. Pet food is another big industry that focuses on, on more protein specifically.

So all of these different components that we're seeing in society today are, are really being incorporated within the pulse industry because we are able to extract protein from pulses directly.

Max: What does the future look like for our pulse production? Are experts expecting growth in Canada's pulse industry?

What will it take for Canada to go from that third largest pulse producer to that number one spot, and do we even wanna get to number one, number one?

Omar: Well, I think what I could say is that the future is bright w- for the industry for sure. Pulses are, as we mentioned and talked about, are Canadian agriculture st- success story.

And one thing that makes this success story is those global markets. So we are a major exporter of lentils, dry peas, and other pulses. Specifically, we're number one for dry peas and lentils, and it's not necessarily a, a competition, but we have a really interesting pipeline that, that, uh, makes its way into the market.

So we have some research happening, and then those research tend to get into producers, ins- essentially growing some high-quality pulses, which then are an advantage for us. A lot of people are looking for those Canadian pulses. Uh, and so it's, it's our advantage, it's our story, and I think it's going to continue.

We're going to continue to see that growth within the industry. Um, so I'll stop there. It's so

Max: interesting. Why do the surveys that we talked about earlier, like the Field Crop Reporting Series and the Census of Agriculture matter?

Omar: It, it's important to, to talk about the numbers and what we're seeing within the industry.

I mean, this entire conversation was put together because of what we're seeing within, uh, the storyline and that growth in pulses in Canada. But they're not just numbers that simply exist somewhere. It's really farmers that help us produce these numbers. Survey responses provide information that often cannot be found from a different source.

It's very important and vital for us to be able to tell the story, tell how farmers are performing both internationally and domestically. So these are very important sources that help us track the industry. And the way we're getting this, as I mentioned, is through the farmers. So they're taking time out of their day to respond to these Statistics Canada agriculture surveys and more surveys as well.

And so it's important to recognize the value that they're bringing to the industry. It, it's really critical and helps us provide that provincial and national es- estimate that we, uh, uh, that industry and researchers, journalists, governments all rely on. So it's also important to mention how Statistics Canada's agriculture data, uh, so this includes the Field Crop Reporting Series, and the Census of Agriculture is an impartial source of information.

We release all of our methodologies to the public, so it's very transparent how we're putting these numbers together and how we're protecting, uh, confidentiality as well. All that information is out there. And so what this means is that our data, Statistics Canada's data, is the first stop for data needs in general, both from industry, government, data users in general.

And so it's the foundation, and that foundation is there because of the farmers, and it's thanks to them that we are able to produce these high-quality statistics. At the same time, it, it is burdensome. We recognize that we are taking time out of farmers' schedule and, and sometimes during their busy time to essentially respond to Statistics Canada agriculture surveys.

And so this is why we created an initiative called the Ag Zero Initiative. StatCan is essentially replacing or aiming to replace traditional collection, survey collection with reliable alternative information. This is essentially the combination of a variety of different sources. It could be some survey, some remote sensing information, some administrative data that helps us produce the same high-quality information without having to ask the farmers the same questions over and over.

And so this is all within the storyline of how we're trying to work better with farmers, reduce the burden using technology to help us measure agriculture, but there is still a lot of importance being put on surveys and the Census of Agriculture. So these sources are still continuing to be important sources, but we're just looking to find ways to reduce the burden

Max: It sounds like these farmers are doing incredible work, and it's really important obviously, uh, as you highlighted, to capture exactly what they're doing so that, uh, everyone who wants to use their data is able to.

Omar: Absolutely.

Max: So amazing. Uh, well, thank you so much, Omar. Thanks for coming in and sharing your time and your expertise today.

Omar: Thank you for having me.