Edible Yellow Peas Yield 'Good' Despite Panhandle Drought - UNL CropWatch, July 26, 2013

Edible Yellow Peas Yield 'Good' Despite Panhandle Drought - UNL CropWatch, July 26, 2013

Harvesting edible yellow peas in the Nebraska Panhandle in July 2013

Figure 1. Harvesting edible yellow peas in the Nebraska Panhandle in July 2013. (Photos by Gary Stone)

July 26, 2013

Field of edbile yellow peas ready for harvest.

Figure 2. Field of edbile yellow peas ready for harvest.

Edible yellow peas

Figure 3. Growers reported dryland yields of edible yellow peas in the mid to upper 20s and irrigated yields that doubled that.

Harvest of edible yellow peas is 30-35% complete in the Panhandle and western Wyoming, where 25,000-30,000 acres were planted this spring, Extension Educator Gary Stone reported this week.

At the start of the season growers were unsure as to how field peas would perform under continued drought conditions, but “yields have been surprisingly good,” said Dave Dietrich, agronomist with Stateline Producers Co-op in Gering. Dryland yields have been in the mid to upper 20s, he said, and irrigated yields have been as high as 60-64 bu/ac.

When asked about lessons learned in this first year of production in the Panhandle, Dietrich noted that herbicide selection and timing had been a bit of problem in some fields. Growers who didn’t tackle weed control early enough are using a harvest aid now.

Field peas are a high protein source that can be used for human consumption in flour, whole and split peas and in livestock and pet feeds.

For more information on this new crop, see the May 20, 2013 CropWatch article.
 

 

Online Master of Science in Agronomy

With a focus on industry applications and research, the online program is designed with maximum flexibility for today's working professionals.

A field of corn.