Photo: AgWeek
Farmers in Montana planted 1,535,905 acres of pulse crops in 2017, up 24% from 2016's 1,209,039 acres, which was itself a 38% increase from 2015, according to the Montana Department of Agriculture.
AgWeek reports while eastern Montana, and northeastern Montana in particular, remain the heart of pulse crop acreage, the crop has spread west, into the state's "Golden Triangle" in the north central.
Roger Sammons, CEO of Pardue Grain in Cut Bank, MT, sees a need for more processing capacity in his area.
Pardue Grain hopes to put those crops to use with a food-grade processing plant capable of using 500 bushels — or 30,000 pounds — per hour. Sammons says the plant is about 30% built, with completion expected in October 2018.
