Pulses Hit by Drought Pt 1
I’m Bob Larson. Hotter than normal temps and extreme drought conditions have hit agriculture hard this year, but maybe no one any harder than pulse growers.
Tim McGreevy, Chief Executive Officer at the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, says this year has been the most difficult growing season he’s seen in a long time …
McGREEVY … “You know, I have a small farm myself, just north of Pullman, and I’m telling ya, we haven’t seen much appreciable rain since we planted. And, the temperatures have just been absolutely, literally the hottest on record in terms of temperatures during the growing season.”
The only year he can compare it to, McGreevy says was back in his high school days, and that was really bad …
McGREEVY ... “In 1977 the pea yields averaged, and this was just Washington and Idaho because that’s where most of the pulses were grown at that time, it averaged 613 pounds per acre. And, the normal yield is around 2,000 pounds per acre here in the Northwest.”
And this year, McGreevy says overall losses are expected to be extreme …
McGREEVY … “You know, a lot of the agronomists that I’m talking to are saying, you know, we’re going to see losses anywhere between 50 to 70% of average yield in the pulses because of this hot weather.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on Northwest pulses and what our drought conditions could mean for growers.
