Lincoln, Neb. —The 2023 Nebraska Pulse Crops Conference in November 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 and again on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney. Both days will feature speakers on soil nutrient management, breeding, trade, and crop insurance.
“It appears that the diseases (Fusarium and Rhizoctonia) on these crops are similar to those of dry beans,” said Bob Harveson, Nebraska Extension plant pathologist. “So the same practices for beans should work for these crops.” He adds conducting research projects will answer the questions of what major disease constraints growers might face.
“Farmers will learn about the high-yielding spring pea varieties for their farms,” said Dipak Santra, Nebraska Extension alternative crops breeding specialist. “I will discuss test results of commercial spring pea varieties based on multiple years of field evaluations across different counties such as Box Butte, Cheyenne, Perkins, and Custer in Nebraska.” The information will include yield, seed protein content, and various agronomic traits of the varieties.
The Pulse Crop Conference will have presenters from Kansas State University, Montana State University, the US Department of Agriculture, and the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council along with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The conference is free, but registration is required for materials. Contact the PREEC office at 308-632-1230 or register online here.
A tentative schedule follows:
8:15 am - 8:30: Registration
Session 1: Agronomy and Breeding
8:30 - 8:45 am: Pea variety evaluation in Nebraska by Dipak Santra, UNL Extension
8:45 -9:00 am: Chickpea variety evaluation in Nebraska by Carlos Urrea, UNL Extension
9:00 -9:20 am: Pea Agronomy: Planting date, population, weed management by Cody Creech, UNL Extension, and Brian Jenks, NDSU
9:20-9:50 am: Soil nutrient management of pulse crops by Clain Jones, Montana State University
9:50 - 10:10 am: Diseases: Pea, chickpea, and black eye pea (cowpea) by Bob Harveson, UNL Extension
10:10 -10:20 pm: Winter pea in Nebraska and Kansas by Dipak Santra and/or Nicolas Menza, UNL 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 -11:00 am: Pea proteins for human health and nutrition by Kaustav Majumdar, UNL
11:00 -11:30 am: 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 -12:00 pm: 3-5-minute Rapid Fire Talks by Seed and Food Industry Reps (Meridian Seeds; Valesco Genetics; ProGene, Roi Rushman, Steve Tucker, AGT, Puris Food)
12:00 to 12:30 pm: Lunch
Session 3: Trade, Crop Insurance, and Policy
12:30 - 1:00 pm: "BIG PICTURE (Pulse CAP and GGA, Farm Bill, Crop Insurance)" of the US pulse crops industry locally and globally and the role of the US Dry Pea & Lentil Commission by Tim McGreevy, USDPLC
1:00 - 1:15 pm: Pulse policy and research by Todd Scholz, USADPLC
1:15 - 1:30 pm: Marketing peas in Nebraska
1:30 - 1:45 pm: Marketing chickpea and lentil in Nebraska by Brian Jelinek, JCC, Alliance
1:45 - 2:15 pm: First purchasers Panel Discussion moderated by Tim McGreevy
2:15 - 2:45 pm: Growers' Panel Discussion moderated by Eric Thalken, Nebraska Dry Pea and Lentil Commission
2:45 -3:00 pm: Questions and Wrap up