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12 CapitalPress.com July 31, 2015 As world’s population increases, so may the amount of pulse crops PULSE crops from Page 1 Dry pea acres in the United States were up 13 percent over 2014, from roughly 888,000 acres to 1,005,000 acres in 2015. The biggest increases in acreage were in Montana and North Dakota. U.S. chickpea acres fell 2.5 percent, from roughly 202,000 acres in 2014 to 196,900 acres this year. At 70,000 acres, Washington state has the most chickpea acreage in the United States, according to the coun- cil. McGreevy attributes the overall growth in acreage to increased demand and rela- tively low stocks. Pulse prices have been strong compared to grain pric- es, he said. According to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, chickpeas bring $30 per 100 pounds on the Wash- ington and Idaho market; len- tils bring $28 to $30 per 100 pounds; and peas bring $14 to $15 per 100 pounds. According to the coun- cil, the average yield in 2014 was 1,324 pounds per acre for chickpeas, 1,300 pounds per acre for lentils and 1,907 pounds per acre for peas. That pencils out to about $397 income per acre for chickpeas, $551 per acre for lentils and $286 per acre for peas. The council estimates the total production cost in Wash- ington and Idaho in 2014 was $355.28 per acre for chickpeas, $308.36 per acre for lentils and $316.47 per acre for peas. Scholz said pea yields are much higher — 2,500 to 3,000 pounds per acre — in the Northern Plains, making the crop more attractive there. Farmers raise pulses for reasons beyond the economic return, Scholz said, pointing to the benefi ts to the soil and as a rotation crop. Peas aren’t dug very deep, so they basically require mois- ture from the top foot and a half of soil, Scholz said. Len- tils require the least moisture. Chickpeas go a little deeper and are on the ground longer. In a dry year, the crop follow- ing chickpeas would show signs of moisture stress, but in a normal year, the moisture profi le is recharged. Some growers choose peas over chickpeas, especially in drier regions, Scholz said. “The value of having it in your rotation outweighs that concern,” he said. Most farmers in the Palouse area already raise pulses, said Genesee, Idaho, farmer Jay Anderson. He initially hesi- tates to recommend pulses to other farmers, but fi nally gives a convincing reason. “Lentils are a fairly low-use water crop,” he said. “If they’re having water problems, yeah, maybe they should put some Insurance program provides safety net to pulse farmers By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Farmer Allen Druffel demonstrates how he checks to see if his peas are ready for harvest. If they’re starting to show up on the ground, he says, he begins harvest in a hurry. Druffel will harvest his peas three weeks early this year because of the heat and dry conditions. U.N. promotes pulses in 2016 By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Growers hope an interna- tional year-long celebration of pulses will grow the popular- ity of peas, lentils and chick- peas. The United Nations has designated 2016 as the Inter- national Year of Pulses. The kickoff is in November. According to the Global Pulse Federation, the cam- paign will position pulses as a primary source of protein and nutrients. The event will pulses into their rotation.” Growing needs Besides kick-starting de- mand, the pulse industry’s big- gest needs in the coming fi ve years are related to transporta- tion, McGreevy said. The loss of container carri- ers at the Port of Portland was “a real blow,” he said. Last winter, the two biggest con- tainer carriers stopped calling at Portland. “We have terrible conges- tion problems at the ports of Tacoma and Seattle,” he said. Railroad service has been a problem, too. “We’ve had over the past fi ve years just really challeng- ing rail problems — trying to get rail cars, trying to get them on time,” he said. McGreevy has called for more investments in roads and bridges. Most of the 55,000 metric tons of pulses formerly shipped in containers by barge down the Columbia River to Portland have been switched to trucks that take them to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Roughly half of the chick- promote “broad discussion and cooperation” national- ly, regionally and globally to increase awareness and un- derstanding of the challenges faced by pulse farmers,” ac- cording to the federation. USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council CEO Tim McGreevy expects the year to provide “a major promotional push.” Events include “major launches” in New York City in November and Napa, Ca- lif., in January; a national pulse recipe competition; and a school lunch competition, pea production, 65 percent of peas and 75 percent of lentils are exported. “When you’re export- ing that kind of volume, you have to have a very effi cient transportation system so your customers will keep coming back,” McGreevy said. Farmers would like to see more research and develop- ment on pulses. Druffel wants varieties he could plant in the fall. Plant- ing in early spring can harm the soil, he said. There are not many winter pulses, but winter pea and lentil varieties are in development, Druffel said. Meyer said he’d like to see new chemicals to com- bat weeds, disease and insect problems. “We’re pretty limited right now,” he said. Anderson agreed. He would like more chemical options for pulses. Chickpeas don’t have many choices once they emerge, he said. “If it doesn’t get rain, it doesn’t activate the chemi- cal and we end up with some weedy crops out there,” he challenging students to create a recipe using pulses. “It’s got protein, it doesn’t have gluten — it’s fi tting a lot of the bills out there,” said Jay Anderson, a Genesee, Idaho, farmer. Colton, Wash., farmer Allen Druffel points to the successes of the “Got Milk?” and “Beef: It’s What’s For Dinner” promotions and hopes for a similar push for pulses. “If we can match that kind of marketing in any way, I will be very happy,” he said. said. Pulses aren’t considered a major crop, which makes fi nd- ing funding for research diffi - cult, Meyer said. The council is backing further research into the nutritional value of pulses. “We know they’re very healthy foods to eat, but we don’t have a lot of the research there to back that up,” he said. In 2012, the USDA Risk Management Agency approved a pilot crop rev- enue insurance program for pulses, another factor behind the growing popu- larity of the crops among farmers. Farmers worked for 13 years to get a revenue pro- tection program, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council CEO Tim McGreevy said. “It makes us competi- tive with other crops like wheat, barley and canola, that have revenue insur- ance in their quiver,” he said. “It’s always better to get a good crop, but it’s also really helpful if you can cover at least your variable cost.” Most farmers agree that the insurance program gives them a safety net. Genesee, Idaho, farmer Jay Montana Anderson hasn’t collect- ed yet, because his yields have been good enough so far. “It’s nice to have it in case there is a disaster,” he said. Moscow, Idaho, farm- er Kevin Meyer said hav- ing an insurance program helps when he goes to the bank. “I have that backstop there to tell my banker on an operating line, I can be guaranteed a certain amount of income,” he said. Kendrick, Idaho, farm- er Pat Smith said the in- surance program is going to come in handy, partic- ularly this year. He ex- pects lowered yields on his green peas and lentils due to lack of rainfall. “With Mother Nature, especially this year, people will be glad that they have it,” he said. 570 180 43 N. Dakota 130 8.8 90 55 70 Washington 43 20 63 Idaho Other * 7 18.6 Source: USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council 295 U.S. pulse acres by statec 2015 (Thousands of acres) Dry pea Lentil Chickpea * Includes California, Oregon, S. Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Illinois Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Looking ahead Meyer doesn’t hesitate when asked if he will continue raising pulses. “Oh, yes of course,” he said. “I believe in them, be- lieve in the health aspects and all of that. They’ll be part of my rotation as long as I’m farming.” Druffel is optimistic about the future. “I think when the First World discovers pulse crops, there’s going to be an in- creased demand,” he said. “We honestly believe that part of the solution to reduc- ing and ending hunger in our lifetime is to increase the con- sumption and production of pulse crops worldwide,” Mc- Matthew Weaver/Capital Press USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council CEO Tim McGreevy speaks about the need to resolve transportation concerns for pulses and other crops May 28 during an industry meeting at the Port of Lewiston in Lewiston, Idaho. Transportation is the biggest need for the industry in the coming fi ve years, McGreevy says. Greevy said. He expects more to turn to pulses as the world’s popula- tion increases. “We’re facing water shortages,” McGreevy said. “These are low water-use crops. They build the soil pro- fi le, they put nitrogen back in the soil. They’re just a really important crop as we move forward.” ‘Giant’ food retailers are more Only remedy is changing state law vulnerable to activists’ campaigns RULING from Page 1 LABEL from Page 1 They are having some suc- cess because consumers want their purchases to align with their values, she said, and con- sumption becomes political practice as a result. Bain’s remarks came as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that prohibits state and local governments from enacting their own mandatory GMO labeling laws but allows creation of a USDA-certifi ed voluntary national standard. The bill, H.R. 1599, passed with bi-partisan support, 275- 150, but faces an uncertain re- ception in the Senate. The debate in Congress may refl ect the state-by-state argument over GMO labeling. Voters in Oregon, Washington, and California have defeated mandatory labeling proposals in recent years, but it’s been a hotly-contested and expensive fi ght. In Oregon in November 2014, a GMO labeling initia- tive was defeated by a scant 837 votes out of more than 1.5 million cast. Vermont, Connecticut and Maine have passed laws requir- ing GMO labels. Meanwhile, the marketplace is fi nding its way through the debate. Big chains such as WalMart Eric Mortenson/Capital Press Iowa State University sociology professor Carmen Bain said sci- ence cannot solve the GMO labeling debate. But voluntary labeling may settle the issue, she told reporters. are powerful players in food retailing, but the “rise of these giants” has made them more vulnerable to activists’ cam- paigns because they want to protect their valuable brand names and reputations, Bain said. Under pressure from activ- ists, some large retailers have announced they won’t carry items such as genetically en- gineered salmon, eggs from caged hens or new GMO pota- toes — and their suppliers have to fall in line. But Bain said the companies aren’t victims in these develop- ments. They clearly recognize the “enormous” economic and social value of niche markets made up of consumers who hold those beliefs and are will- ing to spend more to maintain them, she said. “I think they could care less about the science,” she said. “If they can sell something they are going to do it.” A YouTube video of Bain’s remarks to the National Press Foundation is available at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9P4CGM_XU8w Switching entirely to hour- ly pay puts him at a compet- itive disadvantage, Hayden said. Fast pickers and packers make substantially more mon- ey on piece-rate than hourly pay. “You go with piece-rate to attract good workers. Gener- ally, good workers like piece rate. Slower workers want hourly and cruise,” he said. Hayden pays hourly for color-picking apples but pays piece-rate when trees are strip picked. “I do Rainier (cherries) by the hour but it’s tough because I have to compete with higher wages,” he said. “The bottom line is costs will go up. We’re the high- est minimum wage in the country now ($9.47 per hour) and people want to make it $15. Fine and dandy, except in agriculture everything is variable. We don’t know if we will have a crop, what the yield will be and if we’ll get paid. It’s not like making wid- gets in a factory. We produce what we produce and labor is typically a deciding factor if we make money or not. If we don’t make money there’s no jobs,” Hayden said. Mike Gempler, executive director of Washington Grow- ers League in Yakima, said the ruling will cost growers paying piece-rate $20 to $30 more per worker per week, depending on how much they are earning. It’s not just fast picking but fast packing that’s rewarded by piece-rate, he said. “Another big issue is the cultural shift in the workplace for workers,” Gempler said. “Many want to maximize ev- ery minute they have to work whether they get extra pay for breaks or not. The theory is that paying them for breaks removes the incentive for them to skip breaks, but they want money, they’d rather be working.” State law says workers “shall be allowed” rest breaks by employers but does not mandate them. The court em- phasized rest breaks are man- datory, Fazio said. Fazio believes employers have a third option. Paying hourly wages and a bonus for fruit picked or packed over a certain amount. However, at- torneys advising WAFLA say that creates more risk and it can’t be used for H-2A visa foreign guestworkers because it’s not in their contract, he said. The ruling threatens small growers and growers with small profi t margins, Gempler said. People are upset but will adapt and just want to know how, he said. Tree fruit, berries, grapes, asparagus, hops and any other crops using piece-rate are ef- fected, he said. Major tree fruit companies are grappling with the rul- ing. They probably will keep using piece-rate and use the Supreme Court formula to calculate separate rest-break pay, DeVaney said. “It gets complicated. There are differ- ent rates of pay for different varieties,” he said. Compliance will cost “a lot of money, which will be painful” and harder for small growers, DeVaney said. The only remedy is chang- ing state law, which would be diffi cult and take time, he said. David Douglas, president of Douglas Fruit Co. in Pasco, said he’s keeping piece-rate and fi guring out rest-break pay and that other companies probably are doing the same. The president of another large company, who did not want his name used, said the 9-0 decision does not bode well for the industry regard- ing retroactive pay. Hayden said that would be “a disaster” and said would be impractical and immoral. Fazio said employers should preserve pay records for the last three years in case that happens. Attorneys advis- ing WAFLA said retroactive pay could include interest and penalties.