Pulses Hit by Drought Pt 2
I’m Bob Larson. June’s record heat and the extreme drought conditions across the Northwest have created as difficult a growing season for pulse growers than they’ve seen in over forty years.
USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council Chief Executive, Tim
McGreevy says losses for pea, lentil and chickpea growers are expected to be anywhere from 50 to 70%, but it’s too early to know for sure …
McGREEVY … “In terms of, you know, what’s happening this year, it’s a little bit too early to tell what the final yield is going to be. Again, these are surprisingly resilient crops versus other grains that are grown out there, but we’re clearly going to have a yield impact, there’s just no way around it. We’re going to have less product.”
But, McGreevy says if there’s a silver lining to our weather woes …
McGREEVY … “The prices for these products now have come up significantly than from what we’ve seen, from a year ago anyway, almost double the prices we’ve seen.”
So, McGreevy says that should lessen the sting …
McGREEVY … “If you do have something to sell, at least it’s worth a little bit more money and you can offset some of that loss. Whether it will be enough, I’m not sure. It depends on how big the loss is, but certainly if you do have some good quality product, it’s going to be worth some money this year.”
Looking ahead, McGreevy says we know there’s going to be a yield loss, but we’ll have to wait and see what that will look like.
