As global trade tensions continue to reshape agricultural markets, one local company is quietly standing strong through the uncertainty—Southland Pulse. The company, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary this coming January, has grown into a respected cornerstone in Southeast Saskatchewan’s pulse industry.
Shawn Madsen, one of the managers at Southland Pulse, shared how the company is weathering recent trade disruptions while staying true to its values.
“When this initially started happening and I want to say back in January and February, there were three things that were happening,” Madsen explained. “Tariffs on coming into Canada, tariffs going into the USA, and then the other one also that people tend to overlook, China, that was kind of happening at the exact same time when Chinese put tariffs on Canadian peas.”
The shifting trade landscape was far from straightforward. At one point, tariffs between Canada and the U.S. were “on one day, off one day,” causing confusion and logistical delays. Southland Pulse had product moving in both directions across the border, uncertain whether tariffs would be imposed.
“In the end, the U.S. and Canada one got resolved. But overall, our business, other than the delays at the time of everybody waiting and seeing what to do, it hasn’t changed anything,” Madsen said. “We continue to pull some product out from the U.S., and we continue to ship down into the U.S. As far as China goes, that has not been resolved and we have not been shipping there.”
Despite these hurdles, Madsen said the company has long understood the value of diversification.
“We are already pretty diversified. We touch a lot of parts of the globe,” he noted. “There’s a lot of things happening all over the place. The Middle East, Ukraine and Russia, US-Canada trade wars, China trade war. There’s something always happening. You just have to be flexible.”
That flexibility has paid off. Southland Pulse has managed to explore new regional opportunities, particularly in the U.S., which Madsen describes as “a decent-sized part of our business now.”
Still, he emphasized that every shift creates new competition.
“Once that happens, something like that, everybody chases the same thing. You’re fighting against everybody else in the industry. There’s a little bit more of that going on with the diversity in Canada, but the U.S. is something that we have expanded a little bit more.”
Locally, growers and processors are adjusting as well—but not necessarily by design.
“What it did is, usually the new crop is coming right away, and typically the industry has a lot on the books and ready to rock'n'roll. This year, because of all this uncertainty, there isn’t as much,” Madsen said. “It’s going to be quite a rushed, hectic fall. It’s just the way that it has reacted to it.”
Through it all, Southland Pulse has stayed true to its roots.
“This is what I’ll say: Southland Pulse has been around 25 years coming up in January. We’ve done that by being cautious and doing things right, on the sales end, on the grower end. We’re not a home run kind of place where we’re looking to go and knock things out of the park and make it big and then maybe lose it big the next year.”
In a world filled with volatility and fast-moving headlines, Southland Pulse operates on something simpler: relationships and integrity.
“We’d like to think that we’ve treated people pretty well here, and our buyers too. And they keep coming back,” Madsen said. “We’re glad to be here for 25 years, and hopefully it’s around for another 25.”
When asked if he had any final thoughts, Madsen added one last note that may explain why Southland Pulse has endured:
“I think it’s just treating people fairly. When you’re here, you’re being treated fairly and honestly.”
As the pulse market continues to evolve, Southland Pulse remains a steady and trusted presence in the region—proof that fairness, consistency, and care still go a long way in today’s world.