Buckwheat Plantings

[cakadu]

I am writing from sw MB & the sun just came out!!! My seeding intentions have changed abit but buckwheat was always in the mix. What is the acerage this year & how is the market looking for fall? I have some contracted at 8.50 are things looking better or worse for fall, what should I look for? I am a first time grower. Thanks Dan

[cakadu]

Buckwheat isn't my normal question so I will have to do a little research (particularly on the price side). Greg Kostal did an excellent article on Buckwheat in January (gkostal@escape.ca). At that point in time, his estimate was about 15,000 hectares (about 35,000 to 40,000 acres). With things as wet/late as they are in your neck of the woods, this number is likely growing. Buckwheat is a small market with Japan the main target so it is very easy to overproduce. Without going too much deeper, it is likely a good thing to price a fair portion at the $8.50/bu level (I let you answer the question whether $8.50/bu pays the bills). Another good contact I listened to at a special crops conference in Edmonton is Clayton Campbell, Kade Research at Morden (campbell@mb.sympatico.ca). I can fax you a copy of his article if you can't get it from him directly. Keep us informed about how your first buckwheat experience goes. It is a crop I find very interesting for the future.

[cakadu]

I talked to Clayton Campbell, Kade Research. He indicate that buckwheat acreage in Manitoba is growing every day with your weather conditions with 40,000 plus acres very likely. The limiting factor will be seed. The prices he had heard earlier (no guarantees as many of the companies have booked enough to meet fall sales commitments already) were $8/bu for Manisoba (Agricore)/Koban (Parkland Grain) and $7.50/bu for Mancan. Buckwheat markets are Japan for a steady supply and Eastern Europe as a wild card. He highlighted the importance of getting buckwheat in as early as possible with yield losses of over 50 % if you let things slip into the middle of June. Good luck with the crop. Let us know your experience.