Montana Pulse Area Poised to Expand

BOZEMAN - Dec 14/04 - SNS -- Pulse crop production is rapidly expanding in Montana, with the result researchers at Montana State University predict it will become the second largest pulse producing state in the U.S. after North Dakota.

At the same time, area sown to the pulses is expected to exceed wheat, barley, or alfalfa next year -- making that group of crops the most widely grown in Montana.

The high cost of nitrogen fertilizer and coverage under recent federal farm programs are two pressures behind pulses, says Perry Miller, MSU cropping systems researcher.

Pulse crops in Montana are mainly peas and lentils. The acreage of edible varieties are tallied by federal agricultural statistics agencies, though there are more acres used as forage for livestock or as "green manure," meaning the crop is plowed back into the soil.

In 2004, Montana producers planted 80,000 acres of peas grown for seed and 78,000 acres of edible lentils. The last time edible peas came anywhere close to the 2004 total was back in 1943 when they hit 62,000 acres, according to Montana Agricultural Statistics records.

Fueling the resurgence are several factors, said Miller. A huge factor is the increasing cost of fertilizer nitrogen. Since pulse crops produce nitrogen for their own growth and generally add some for the following crop, growing pulse crops reduces fertilizer costs. In addition, federal farming programs added coverage of pulse crops in 2003, which reduced marketing risks.

Pulse crops are a beautiful fit for Montana grain rotations, but only when we don't have drought, Miller said. Pulse crop production in northeastern Montana is taking off, because the area has had good moisture in recent years. Pulse crop production in the state's Triangle area has been less energetic, because of the drought.

Another significant concern producers need to consider is herbicide carry-over, Miller said. Many pulse crops have been hurt because herbicides stay in the soil longer under drought conditions than normal conditions.

"It takes microbial activity to get ride of herbicides, and if the soil is dry, that can take much longer than is sometimes indicated by the herbicide label," Miller said.

Even with these concerns, Miller said interest in pulse crops was intense at the annual Montana Grain Growers meeting in Great Falls recently.

He said he expected to give an update on the newest research to a moderate number of experienced pulse growers. Instead, the audience overflowed into the hall and included many growers who needed basic information of how to get started growing peas and lentils.

There are two publications and an MSU Web site (http://scarab.msu.montana.edu/CropSystems) that should help growers start with pulse crops.

"The Saskatchewan Pulse Production Manual," comes close to providing "everything a grower needs to know about growing pulse crops," Miller said. However, this 200-page manual is only available in a free electronic version. It is on the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Web site at http://www.saskpulse.com/library/ppm, but requires Adobe Acrobat. At 5.1 megabytes, it probably is only practical to download with a high speed connection, though it can be viewed or downloaded in sections by clicking on an index at that Web site.

A second source of information is the "Pulse Growing Manual" from Alberta which is available for $30 from Alberta Pulse Growers, 4301-50 Street, Leduc, Alberta, Canada, T9E 7H3. The association's email is office@pulse.ab.ca. The office phone is (780) 986-9398. They accept fax orders at (780) 980-2570 but do not take credit cards.