By Kate Haggith Paw -portunities I PET FOOD MARKET DRIVES DEMAND FOR YELLOW PEAS f there is one topic most Americans agree on, it’s their love of four-legged companions. They’ll go to great lengths to ensure their dogs are part of the farm and ranch family, from providing a soft place to rest at the end of a hard day to the chance to ride shotgun on endless pickup rides. That love and compassion and an increase in the number of households with pets worldwide is fueling the pet industry’s growth and providing crop marketing opportunities. “The pet food market has given us an avenue to sell our peas,” says Lee Pawlowski, who grows spring wheat, corn, durum, flax, mustard, sunflowers and a variety of pulses near Circle, Mont., with his father and brother. They began growing dry peas in 2008. “Yellow peas were the start of implementing different rotations in our fields,” says Pawlowski. “We were raising spring wheat, durum and barley and our yields just weren’t there. Peas seemed to be the answer.” The Pawlowskis started off small, planting about 100 to 200 acres of yellow and forage peas. By 2013, they were up to 1,200 acres of various varieties. “Peas have really improved our soil health and the earlier harvest window makes them easier to manage,” he says. Dry peas are typically harvested in late July. While the Pawlowskis have slightly decreased their pea acres in response to increased tariffs on pulse and pea exports to India, “demand for plant-based protein and pet food has kept peas a viable crop for us to grow,” says Pawlowski. “Between tariffs and current economic factors, peas might have become a stalemate if it weren’t for the pet food market.” Pawlowski Brothers Incorporated sells about half its pea production to CHS Farmers Elevator in Circle, Mont., where Pawlowski serves on the producer board. The other half goes directly to protein foods processors. CHS Farmers Elevator handles about 2 million bushels of yellow peas annually, selling most to U.S. pet food manufacturers, says David Barbula, the co-op’s merchandiser. “We also have a small amount that is loaded into containers and shipped to Asia.” Market Growth “Peas received some bad press a few years ago when the FDA warned that pet food with large portions of peas could potentially cause heart issues in dogs,” says Mickie Dent, a procurement merchandiser of specialty grains with CHS Global Grain Marketing who works with CHS Farmers Elevator and other cooperatives to source peas for buyers in the U.S. pet food market. The FDA hasn’t released evidence to support the claim and Dent says that while there was some effect on the market, overall demand for dry peas has remained steady. “Peas will continue to be a staple in pet food unless they are proven unsafe; they’re price-competitive and a good source of protein,” says Nathan Green, vice president of > 8 of 10 80% Source: USDA of the world’s largest pet food companies are in the U.S. Source: Petfoodindustry.com of U.S. dry peas are grown in Montana and North Dakota Your CHS Connection 17