Analysts predict no growth in U.S. pulse acreage in 2007.
If so, it would be the first time since peas, lentils and chickpeas were included under U.S. farm support programs that there hasn’t been a big jump in plantings of the three crops.
Pulses were up by 143,282 acres last year. That compares to expansions of 433,505 acres in 2005 and 293,538 acres in 2004.
“I don’t think we’ll see a large upswing in acres like we did the last few years. But I’m not sure we’ll see a downswing either,” said Todd Scholz, director of information and research at the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council.
Read Also
Increasing farmland prices blamed on investors
a major tax and financial services firm says investors are driving up the value of farmland, preventing young farmers from entering the business. Robert Andjelic said that is bullshit.
One of the reasons Scholz expects the status quo of 1.47 million acres is that while pulse prices have risen, so have most commodity prices. Wheat and corn will be appealing alternatives for many farmers.
American pulse growers are coming off a frustrating year. Pea yields were down 18 percent from the previous year, while lentil yields plummeted 30 percent, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s latest crop production report.
“In the key production states it was just too hot and too dry,” said Dan Norris, pea and lentil analyst with the USDA.
Corn and soybeans weathered the drought-like conditions nicely, but many pulse crops withered in the heat.
Norris agreed it would be easy to make a case for static pulse acreage. While prices have risen of late, they are down substantially from three years ago, when the crops were first included in the Farm Bill.
Dry peas were selling for $5.84 US per hundredweight this October compared to $7.45 per cwt. in October 2003. Lentils fell to $12.40 per cwt. from $16.90 per cwt. over that same period.
But Scholz said despite disappointing yields and strong price competition from other crops, growers still see a place for pulses in their rotations.
Due to their nitrogen-fixing ability, peas, lentils and chickpeas are still cheap to grow relative to wheat. And there is still plenty of summerfallow in states like Montana that can be converted to pulses.
“I don’t think we expect a decline in acres. I’m not sure that’s what our industry is looking at. (But) there may be a shift in what is planted,” he said.
Scholz expects growers to seed more red lentils and fewer greens, mirroring what is happening in Canada. He also expects more chickpeas at the expense of pea acres due to rising prices for that commodity.
At one time U.S. growers seeded a lot more green peas than yellows but that changed when pulses were included under the farm bill. Last year they planted 539,289 acres of yellows and 368,736 acres of greens.
There has also been a shift in lentil production. In 2003, growers seeded an equal amount of small and medium lentils, around 75,000 acres for each class. In 2006, they seeded 293,425 acres of medium and 104,986 acres of small lentils. Large lentils remain an insignificant class.
Before farm bill coverage there was virtually no small chickpea production. Last year growers seeded 23,499 acres of small chickpeas versus 77,092 acres of large varieties.
Scholz said while next year’s pulse acreage may be stagnant, the pulse industry still expects longer term growth. He said it is feasible total pea, lentil and chickpea acreage will reach two million acres over the next five years.
“There is still room for expansion,” he said.
