04/12/07 Energy component for pulse crops

The US Dry Pea and Lentil Council is asking Congress to provide new incentives for pulse crops which can conserve energy resources. They call it PECIP, the Pulse Energy Conservation Incentive Payment. Idaho grower Jim Evans went to Capitol Hill to tell the House Ag Committee recently that dry peas, lentils and chickpeas do not require the use of nitrogen fertilizer in the production cycle. EVANS "Research showed that dry peas, lentils and chickpeas provide a 40 pound per acre nitrogen credit for the next crop in the rotation. In addition to conserving energy pulse drops also fix nitrogen in the soil which provides a significant offset to greenhouse gas emissions. The payment would be based on a formula that multiplies nitrogen credit saved by planting a pulse crop, 40 pounds per acre, times the current cost of nitrogen fertilizer, which Evans puts at 38 cents. Using that formula he told the committee the payment would be roughly 15 dollar an acre for pulse crops. EVANS "We believe the safety net for pulses should be expanded to include pulse direct payment and counter cyclical payment." The Moscow-based Dry Pea and Lentil Council is asking Congress to include all of these proposals in the Farm Bill which is supposed to be passed out of Congress and sent to the President later this year. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott