The 2023 Nebraska Pulse Crops Conference will focus on field peas, chickpeas, black-eyed peas and other pulses. The conference will be held on Monday, Nov. 20 at the Bridgeport Prairie Winds Event Center in Bridgeport, Nebraska, and again on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska.

The event will include morning sessions on agronomy and breeding of peas, soil nutrient management and diseases. The afternoon sessions will look at nutrition and quality for human foods, trade, crop insurance, policy, and talks by seed and food industry representatives.   

A tentative schedule follows:

• 8:15-8:30 a.m. — Registration 

Session 1: Agronomy and Breeding 

• 8:30-8:45 a.m. — Pea variety evaluation in Nebraska by Dipak Santra, Nebraska Extension 
• 8:45-9 a.m. — Chickpea variety evaluation in Nebraska by Carlos Urrea, Nebraska Extension 
• 9-9:20 a.m. — Pea Agronomy: Planting date, population, weed management by Cody Creech, Nebraska Extension, and Brian Jenks, NDSU 
• 9:20-9:50 a.m. — Soil nutrient management of pulse crops by Clain Jones, Montana State University
• 9:50-10:10 a.m. — Diseases: Pea, chickpea, and black eye pea (cowpea) by Bob Harveson, Nebraska Extension 
• 10:10-10:20 a.m. — Winter pea in Nebraska and Kansas by Dipak Santra and/or Nicolas Menza, Nebraska Extension; and Lucas Haag, K-State University 
• 10:20-10:40 am — Break 

Session 2: Quality and Nutrition for Human and Pet Food Industry 

• 10:40-11 a.m. — Pea proteins for human health and nutrition by Kaustav Majumdar, UNL 
• 11-11:30 a.m. — Pulse proteins in the human food industry by B. Pam Ismail, Plant Protein Innovation Center, University of Minnesota, Dr. Jeff Rumney/Madison Jacobsen, USDPLC 
• 11:30-Noon — Three- to five-minute rapid fire talks by seed and food industry reps (Meridian Seeds; Valesco Genetics; ProGene, Roi Rushman, Steve Tucker, AGT, Puris Food) 
• Noon-12:30 p.m. — Lunch 

Session 3: Trade, Crop Insurance and Policy 

• 12:30-1 p.m. — “Big Picture (Pulse CAP and GGA, Farm Bill, Crop Insurance)” of the U.S. pulse crops industry locally and globally and the role of the U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Commission by Tim McGreevy, USDPLC 
• 1-1:15 p.m. — Pulse policy and research by Todd Scholz, USADPLC 
• 1:15-1:30 p.m. — Marketing peas in Nebraska 
• 1:30-1:45 p.m. — Marketing chickpea and lentil in Nebraska by Brian Jelinek, JCC, Alliance 
• 1:45-2:15 p.m. — First purchasers panel discussion moderated by Tim McGreevy 
• 2:15-2:45 p.m. — Growers' panel discussion moderated by Eric Thalken, Nebraska Dry Pea and Lentil Commission 
• 2:45-3 p.m. — Questions and wrap-up 

The event is free, but registration is required for materials. Contact the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center office at 308-632-1230 or register online.

Register now