The Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission held their AGM last week.

Executive Director Kevin Hursh says last year at this time Mustard pricing didn’t look all that competitive compared to some other cropping options.

As a result, the amount producers seeded was down in 2017 and then key growing areas in the Province experienced dry conditions:

"Mustard has been a bit of a bright spot with rising prices especially for brown and yellow mustard," he said. "Oriental has been lagging behind, but there have been some pretty nice values for yellow and brown, and there have been some attractive new crop contract prices."

Hursh addes that mustard production from 2016 to 2017 was down by almost half so that shorted the market.

He expects to see an increase in Mustard acres in 2018.

Hursh said that researchers are on the cusp of releasing the first brown mustard hybrid variety.

"In order for that to be viable, for producers to be able to afford to buy new seed every year, those varieties are going to have to show a significant yield increase over what we have now to make it viable," he said. "The varieties that are in the breeding program do look very promising, and I would hope that hybrid brown mustard will be a reality within a couple of years."

When it comes to exports Brown Mustard goes to Europe for Dijon Mustard, Yellow is predominately exported to the U-S for Hotdog Mustard, while the Oriental Mustard goes into Asia where the oil is used in a variety of products like wasabi.

Hursh added that mustard growers might have another market source for their crop right here in Saskatchewan.

Two entrepreneurs are working on converting the old creamery building in Swift Current into a Mustard processing facility under Prairie & Sons.

He says Bata Dorj and his son Barkhas, are originally from Mongolia:

"Of course we wish them all the best in those sorts of endeavours, and that's the kind of processing operation that we need to see more of here, rather than just shipping the raw product out," he said. "Bata and his son have got big plans for buying local mustard and shipping it out."

Sask Mustard’s board of directors and management team met with the two men last fall and toured the Swift Current facility.