Diversification in prairie agriculture
The vision of crop diversification in Prairie agriculture faces challenges, with hemp emerging as a promising but underutilized option.
- By Calvin Daniels
April 27 09, 2025
key points from this story:
- Hogs were once seen as key for diversification
- Canola and cereal crops now dominate Prairie farming
- Specialty crops like hemp remain niche
- Hemp offers protein and versatile fiber uses
- Market and supply issues hinder hemp expansion
- Hemp unlikely to replace major crops soon
Diversification was not so long ago the vision in terms of strengthening Prairie agriculture. Hogs were to be a key component of that utilizing cheap feed grain, cheap land and a ready supply of staff, all of which were to make the sector lucrative. Then key crops, particularly canola boomed. Other crop prices dragged higher, and land values climbed, as the workforce looked elsewhere than a pig barn too, and that sector stumbled.
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