While wheat was once king on the Canadian Prairies in terms of what farmers grew, changes in world markets eventually led to a change atop the crop list, at least in terms of value. 
Recalling back to my days in school, and having grown up on a small Saskatchewan farm, I was keenly aware of the importance of wheat as a crop, and to Canada’s reputation for producing and delivering the highest quality wheat. This country was seen as the ‘breadbasket’ of the world, a reputation well-earned and economically significant. 
That was in the 1970s and I doubt many saw the importance of wheat being usurped. 
But, then from rapeseed evolved canola, a crop offering an oil that met a changing diet and growing demand, and over a number of years the Prairie landscape turned yellow.  
As the popularity of canola oil grew the crop became more and more popular with producers because it offered a better return. 
While wheat remains a significant crop, canola is the queen these days. 
The question that is interesting to ask is whether canola itself will one day be usurped as the key Prairie crop? 
There are those that look at pulse crops as potentially achieving that. 
Of course pulses cover a range of crops from chickpeas, to yellow and green field peas, to a range of lentils and beans. As a collective group they are intriguing because they fix nitrogen in the soil, a definite side benefit to the crop itself, as it can reduce fertilizer costs. 
The pulse range are also all generally grown as a protein source, both for the livestock sector, and human consumption. It is the ladder area of human consumption that would seem to offer the greatest potential, and that comes from two factors. 
On the one side the population of the world continues to grow, and that means added demand for food in general, and of course protein.  
When you look at the impact African Swine Fever has had in decimating the pig herd in countries such as China, the demand for protein is going to grow. 
Here in North America there is also a growing market for protein alternatives as seen by the push from restaurants to offer and alternative to real meat with products made to look like meat but that is largely plant protein and a range of other ingredients. 
While some might see the meat alternatives as a fad, likely to go the way of the pet rock, that may not be the case and legumes stand to benefit if the market lasts and grows. 
If world and domestic demand to rise, pulses could certainly move into the mix in terms of what crop is the key one for Prairie producers. •
— By Calvin Daniels