Jeannie Rude is an agronomist at PRO Co-op in Northeast Montana. She manages part of the co-op’s business to help growers make decisions, solve agronomic problems, and provide inputs. Overall, Rude works with 13 different crops on an annual basis. She is acutely aware of how much her job and the success of her cooperative hinges on the viability of the farmer customers that they serve. “I love what I do because of the complexity. It definitely makes it more challenging. It makes it hard to bring...
Jun 23, 2023•30 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Dr. Barney Geddes is an assistant professor at North Dakota State University in the Department of Microbiological Sciences. His work focuses on microbes with the goal of boosting crop yields for farmers. More specifically he studies rhizobia which form symbiotic relationships with legume crops like pulses. In this episode, Geddes explains how nodulation works and what that means for farm decisions like inoculants. He grew up on a farm in Manitoba, and after studying microbiology as an undergrad,...
Jun 01, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Dr. Perry Miller is a cropping systems scientist in the Land Resources and Environmental Sciences Dept at Montana State University. A large portion of the work Dr. Miller does includes working with pulse crops and how they can make other crops, namely wheat, grow better. Part one of this episode was published as episode two in this season and focused on crop diversification and fertility. In this episode, we focus on lentil agronomics. As more and more farmers started to grow lentils in their ro...
May 10, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Dr. Michael Wunsch is a Plant Pathologist at the Carrington Research Extension Center at North Dakota State University. He holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2010, and has worked for NDSU ever since and focused on disease management problems on a wide breadth of crops grown in North Dakota. Michael’s focus is on applied research that can directly address farmer needs. In this episode we focus specifically on root rots in peas and lentils and how the soil temperature can affect successful y...
Apr 21, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Aphids are known for the destruction they can cause due to feeding damage. But they can also be responsible for transmitting harmful viruses into the crops. In this episode we hear from Dr. Lyndon Porter is a plant pathologist at USDA-ARS based in Prosser, Washington, Dr. Sean Prager is an associate professor of entomology at the University of Saskatchewan and Dr. Sanford Eigenbrode is a professor of entomology at the University of Idaho. There is a tremendous amount of collective knowledge in t...
Apr 05, 2023•28 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Dr. Nonoy Bandillo is an assistant professor and pulse crops breeder who directs the pulse crops breeding program at North Dakota State University. He says their ultimate goal at the program is to develop and release varieties that maximize economic return to producers and to provide high quality crops to the pulse crops industry. In this episode we discuss key challenges in pulse crops that are being addressed through genetics, some of the varieties that his program has released in the past, an...
Mar 20, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Dr. Perry Miller is a cropping systems scientist in the Land Resources and Environmental Sciences Dept at Montana State University. He specializes in crop diversification strategies and says a big chunk of that work includes working with pulse crops and how they can make other crops, namely wheat, grow better. In this episode, Miller discusses some of these crop diversification strategies, the benefits to including pulse crop rotations, some of the work they're doing on crop fertility and how mu...
Feb 28, 2023•23 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Over the past 15 years Paul Overby has converted his North Dakota farm to no-till, added zone management for nutrient management, diversified his rotations and added cover crops. He shares his journey toward building healthier soils, the importance of pulse crops in his rotation, and his recent experiences with growing pea/canola intercrop. Overby had already started growing peas before he decided to make the switch to no-till, but his interest in pulses grew as he started to understand the bene...
Feb 09, 2023•26 min•Season 4Ep. 1
PLEASE COMPLETE THE LISTENER SURVEY: https://bit.ly/Pulses2022 The Land Institute’s Brandon Schlautman joins the show about the work he is doing to breed perennial pulses. Brandon is the lead scientist of the perennial legumes program at the Land Institute which is based in Salina, KS. The 40 year old non-profit ag research institute tries to find solutions that balance short term economic realities with long term conservation goals. They’re known for their work in kernza, and hope to make simil...
Sep 14, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Dr. Cody Creech and Dr. Carrie Eberle join the show to talk about new frontiers for pulse crops in Nebraska and Wyoming. We’ll explore where and how these crops are fitting into rotations, the challenges of growing pulses in new areas, double cropping, and water use efficiency. Cody is a dryland cropping systems specialist with the University of Nebraska Lincoln located at the panhandle center in Western Nebraska. He focuses on crops that can be grown without needing much water including soil wa...
Aug 26, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In this episode Dr. Tyler Wist discusses the impact caused by grasshoppers and aphids in pulse crops. Tyler is a field crop entomologist with Agriculture and Agrifood Canada based at the Saskatoon Research and Development Center. He does research on field crop insects to find ways to better protect crops, establish economic thresholds, and identify and understand plant-insect interactions. He starts the conversation with personal insights in grasshoppers. “The real trouble is when grasshoppers g...
Aug 03, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this episode we continue our conversation with Greg Busch , a farmer in the far northwest corner of North Dakota. In case you missed Greg’s introduction, he farms with his wife Jessica and they’ve been growing pulses as part of their rotation for over thirty years. We talk about what led Greg to try intercropping, which combinations have worked for him, the benefits and challenges of this approach, and his advice for others who might want to experiment with intercropping. “I was thinking I wa...
Jul 19, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Greg Busch is a farmer in the far northwest corner of North Dakota. He farms with his wife Jessica and they’ve been growing pulses as part of their rotation for over thirty years. Greg joins us over the next two episodes to talk about what led him to diversify his rotation to include up to ten different crops. He tells us what he has learned through these experiences and where pulses specifically fit into the mix. “When we first started farming and specifically when we first started no-till we w...
Jun 28, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Mark Jirik of the Northern Crops Institute joins the show to talk about their value-added product development and their role in education of a variety of crops. Northern Crops Institute is an international meeting and learning center that unites customers, commodity traders, technical experts, and professors for discussion and education. Since 1983, over 133 nations have sent participants to NCI who are government representatives, private industry agriculture workers, or from other commodity uti...
Jun 16, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Dr. Arti Singh joins us to talk about a lesser known pulse crop that is showing a lot of potential for increased commercial production in the U.S.. The mungbean, which has traditionally been grown for bean sprouts, is seeing increased demand due to its ideal properties for many plant-based proteins. “The mungbean is a very versatile crop when it comes to uses and the quality of protein. The market is just amazing right now it's opening up in all different directions. I see there is a lot more be...
Jun 03, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Dr. Steve Shirtliffe joins us to talk about weed management in lentils. Steve is a professor in the department of plant sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. His research over the past couple of decades has focused on agronomy, with extensive work on weed management in pulses specifically. Steve and I talk about some of the challenges specific to lentils when it comes to weed management, and some of the latest research, innovation and best practices in this area. Steve and his colleagues a...
May 27, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Steve Zwinger joins the show to talk about variety development, intercropping, and organic pulse production. Steve is a research specialist in agronomy at NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center. One of his primary responsibilities is research into organic production, and pulse crops are an important part of these rotations. Steve has been involved in this type of research since the 1990s, and works with a number of crops, including small grains, pulses, and some work in ancient grains as well...
May 17, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 8
If you’ve ever thought that direct-to-consumer farm businesses are only for those located close to urban centers, this episode will challenge that thinking. Scobey, Montana is considered the second most middle-of-nowhere town in America. That’s where Terry grew up on the farm, and where he and Shauna have built their farm and business. Together they share about their journey on Farver Farms from farming to building their own farmer-direct brand of lentil snacks and mixes. “Our kids were getting ...
Apr 25, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Chris Wiegert joins the show to talk about his unique role in the pulse crops industry. As both the chief business development officer and chief sustainability officer of Healthy Food Ingredients , Chris has a great sense of various pulse markets and the ins and outs of maximizing value from these crops. Based in Watertown, South Dakota, Chris and his team at Healthy Food Ingredients contract organic, identity preserved and other specialty pulse, small grain, and oil seed crops. “All of our faci...
Apr 11, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode we have the opportunity to listen to an interview recorded for the War Against Weeds podcast . Co-hosts Dr. Sarah Lancaster and Dr. Joe Ikley are both weed scientists: Sarah at Kansas State University and Joe at North Dakota State. Together they help listeners understand what it takes for farmers to fight the war against weeds. Joining Sarah and Joe on today’s episode are Dr. Lucas Haag , the Northwest Area Agronomist for Kansas State University, and Jeanne Falk Jones , a trained...
Mar 17, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Dr. Héctor Cárcamo is a senior research scientist at the Lethbridge Research and Development Center in Alberta which is part of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Hector’s work focuses on developing integrated pest management strategies for insect pests in crops such as faba beans, field peas, canola, and some forage crops. He helps growers develop management strategies and looks for ways to reduce reliance on chemistry. This episode focuses on two pulse crop pests in particular: lygus bugs and p...
Mar 03, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Dr. Clair Keene joins us to talk about both intercropping and incorporating pulses into an organic rotation. At the time of our interview, Clair was the extension specialist in cropping systems at the Williston Research Extension Center where she supported farmers directly as well as conducted research and extension outreach with county agents and other stakeholders. Since that time her title has changed to assistant professor and agronomist at North Dakota State University, but her research int...
Feb 17, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Dr. Miranda Meehan is the Livestock Environmental Stewardship Specialist with North Dakota State University Extension. Her work primarily deals with grazing management and the balance between our environment and our livestock. In this episode we talk about making rotations of livestock and pulse crops work. Specifically, we’ll cover the role of pulses in full season cover crops, the considerations of incorporating cattle into crop rotations, and we’ll also get into some of the biggest questions ...
Feb 01, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 2
First generation farmer Nate Powell-Palm shares his inspiring story of starting his farming career at the age of 12 and adding pulses to his grain and livestock rotation. Nate is located near Bozeman Montana and currently farms organic pulse crops, oilseeds, cereals, and livestock. Beginning on his parent’s ten acres in 2004, Nate now farms around 1,000 acres spread across 12 different landlords. He also serves on the National Organic Standards Board and has been an organic inspector for about t...
Jan 18, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 1
**Take our audience survey : https://bit.ly/GPCsurvey2021 In this episode, we’ll talk about some of the unique challenges pulse growers are facing this year with the hot and dry weather, how these conditions could impact yield and quality, what tools Canadian pulse growers are using for harvest aids, and information on some alternative harvest approaches like using swathing and stripper headers. We’re joined by Dale Risula and John Ippolito , both with the Ministry of Agriculture in Saskatchewan...
Aug 30, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 14
**Take our audience survey : https://bit.ly/GPCsurvey2021 Today’s episode focuses on where pulses fit into a cattle ration. Some growers may be considering haying peas, lentils or chickpeas as a supplement to their nutrition program due to the drought conditions. We also talk about how pulse crops work from a relative value standpoint. We are joined by Dr. Zac Carlson , the North Dakota State University Extension Beef Cattle Specialist based in Fargo. He just recently started in that position in...
Aug 18, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In today’s episode we talk about what’s being developed in terms of pulse varieties for pest and disease resistance, winter hardiness for fall-sown pulses, and what it takes to bring new varieties to the market. Rebecca McGee, Ph.D. joins us to discuss her work on developing varieties of spring-sown peas and lentils, autumn-sown peas, lentils and chickpeas. Dr. McGee is a research geneticist (aka plant breeder) with the USDA-ARS Grain Legume Genetics and Physiology Research Unit located at Washi...
Jul 30, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 12
On today’s episode we talk pulse crop quality standards and how residues and MRLs play a role in perceived quality from buyers and consumers around the world. Todd Scholz, vice president for research and member services at the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council , joins us to discuss some of the nuances of MRLs (maximum residue limits) and what growers need to know to deal with the complex standards that exist in different global markets. He has been with the Lentil Council for over 20 years and prov...
Jul 21, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Dr. Syama Chatterton is a research scientist with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada in Lethbridge, Alberta. For the past 10 years, Dr. Chatterton’s work has focused on soilborne diseases and root rot pathogens of pulses. Today’s episode focuses on the tools Dr. Chatterton and her colleagues are developing to more accurately and efficiently test for disease presence in soils for pathogens like aphanomyces and fusarium. The idea behind these tools they are developing is to lower the risk for farmers...
Jun 30, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In this episode we meet Dr. Jenny Davidson, a pulse pathologist at South Australian Research Institute , or SARDI, in Adelaide, South Australia. Dr. Davidson works on diseases of lentils, chickpeas, field peas, and fava beans. She leads a team of a number of scientists and technicians working to keep pulse diseases under control in Australia. In 25 years of doing this work with pulse crops, she has seen diseases and genetic resistance to those diseases come and go. She shares about efforts to co...
Jun 10, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 9
