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But
what of the sunflower seeds and peas and canola and barley and beet pulp
pellets and flax? Must they be the Rodney Dangerfields of the bulk commodity
world? Must they suffer ag angst? We think not.
 Too
often in press reports about bulk grain exports from the Twin Ports, sunflower
seeds and their peers get tacked on at the bottom, indiscriminately grouped
as “other.”
And
we acknowledge that we, too, have sometimes unfairly stereotyped the grains
that weren’t “major” (wheat, corn and soybeans) as “minor.”
John Crabtree helped set us right. Mr. Crabtree is the assistant director
of the Northern Crops Institute, headquartered on the campus of North
Dakota State University in Fargo, and he is quick to point out the merits
of what we shall now call our “specialty grains.”
“Actually,”
said Mr. Crabtree, “they are grains of some significance.”
In wet
years and in some cases when prices have dropped, he said, farmers have
switched from, say, barley and wheat to canola and other specialty crops.
“You have to have a market, of course,” he said, “but when
you do, specialty crops can fill an important niche. They don’t require
any special equipment, and they can be very attractive.”
That
said, let’s look at some of the specialty crops that are raised in
the Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota and have been transported through Duluth-Superior
in the past couple of years.
Sunflower
Seeds
Tons shipped in 1999: 89,192
Tons shipped in 1998: 216,219
Destinations: Europe and Mediterranean markets
The oilseed that is shipped from Duluth-Superior is used as salad oil
and in the manufacture of margarine. It is also used in soaps, paints
and varnishes. Meal, a by-product of oil production, is used for animal
feed. About 95 percent of all the sunflowers grown in the U.S. come from
the Dakotas and Minnesota.
Beet
Pulp Pellets
Tons shipped in 1999: 53,153
Tons shipped in 1998: 34,077
Destinations: Europe
Along with molasses, this is one of the primary by-products of sugar production.
Beet pulp pellets are a highly nutritious livestock feed.
Canola
Tons shipped in 1999: 20,653
Tons shipped in 1998: 120,245
Destination: Canada, Europe and South America
Canola is mainly raised for the production of edible oil, favored by many
people because it compares favorably to other oils in terms of saturates
and monosaturates. Consumption of canola oil is expected to surpass corn
and cottonseed oil, becoming second only to soybean oil. A new variety
of canola — laurate canola — was planted for the first time
in 1996 and serves as an alternative domestic source for tropical oils
and petroleum products. This oil can be used in soaps and detergents and
other niche products. Canola meal is used for livestock feed.
Peas
Tons shipped in 1999: 8,067
Tons shipped in 1998: 27,910
Destination: Europe
These aren’t the little green guys you pour from a can and enjoy
in tuna hotdish. We’re talking field peas here, which are marketed
as a dry, shelled product for human or animal use. They are used in soups
and some meat emulsions, beverages and bakery products. For animals, they
are used both for forage and seed.
Winter
Wheat
Tons shipped in 1999: none
Tons shipped in 1998: 30,386
Destinations: Africa and South America
This is the primary wheat class used for white sliced pan bread and a
variety of other yeast-leavened baked goods.
Flax
Tons shipped in 1999: none
Tons shipped in 1998: 8,856
Destination: Europe
Flax is primarily used for non-food purposes. Linseed oil extracted from
flax is used in paints, coatings and linoleum. Its meal is used as livestock
feed. Ground or whole seed flax imparts a nutty flavor to baked goods,
so interest in flax for human consumption is growing.
Black
Turtle Bean
We haven’t seen this noble farm product for some years, but would
welcome it. It is a small black bean usually available where Spanish and
Oriental foods are sold. It is a key ingredient in Black Turtle Bean Soup
and Brazilian Bean Soup, and simply because both of those items just plain
sound good we thought we would end our report with this special specialty
product.
Other
(there’s that word again) crops that have moved through the Twin
Ports are white wheat, lentils, alfalfa pellets and rye.
Other
specialty crop facts:
 North
Dakota leads the nation in the production of durum wheat, the key ingredient
in the production of pasta products, couscous and breads. Together, the
Dakotas and Montana produce 90 percent of the nation’s durum.
The Dakotas and Minnesota are the only states that produce flaxseed. North
Dakota produces the most, Minnesota the least.
The Dakotas and Minnesota produce 96 percent of the nation’s sunflowers,
with North Dakota Number 1, Minnesota Number 3.
Minnesota leads the nation in sugarbeet production, with North Dakota
at Number 4.
Our thanks to the Northern Crops Institute, its assistant director and
its Web site: www.northerncrops.com.
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