U.S. Pulse Growers Disinterested in Crop

VANCOUVER - Jul 14/06 - SNS -- Pulse growers in the United States are showing an unexpected lack of excitement over the product group this year, having cut dry edible bean seedings 9% from their March seeding intentions and 7% below last year to 1.56 million acres and now failing to increase field pea and lentil area as much as expected.

Before the release of the latest USDA crop report, agricultural economists with the federal agency were forecasting over a 42% increase in pea and lentil area in the United States; while STAT Market Research was looking for an increase in the mid 30% range. When the dust settled July 12, field pea area was up just 10.8% and lentils down 6.7% from last year.

Analysts took some comfort in knowing actual seeded area in the United States is unknown. Interest in peas and lentils has expanded beyond the five main producing states of Montana, North Dakota, Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Growers in Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin also took USDA commodity loans or received loan deficiency payments for peas; while some lentils in South Dakota were covered by the U.S. farm program.

Apart from the evidence contained in weekly reports on program loan activity in the United States, no effort is made to estimate pea and lentil output in these other states; and the industry has an imperfect fix on actual seedings because most of the companies and growers involved do not belong to the national and regional pea and lentil associations.

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