Rain that started Thursday did little to ease concerns about drought among members of the Idaho and Washington pea and lentil commissions.
And they say they have a lot of other problems."I think the word is lean and mean for this year," said Harold Blain of Moscow, administrator for the pea and lentil commissions. They're headquartered on the Idaho-Washington border at Moscow.
At a joint meeting, the two commissions agreed the biggest problem is foreign competition, especially from Canada. They said Canadian growers essentially are guaranteed income per acre planted, regardless of yield or crop quality.
There's also less money available for industry promotion and research.
And as if rubbing salt in the wounds, pea and lentil producers think they've been wronged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In its new food guide pyramid giving consumers nutrition advice, the USDA ranks peas and lentils with meats and other high protein foods. The higher on the pyramid, the less consumption is suggested.
"I think that's kind of a major screwup," said one commissioner.
All commissioners agreed peas and lentils should be in the vegetable category. In addition to high protein content, the products are low in fat and cholesterol.
Victoria Scalise, domestic marketing expert for the commissions, said the industry is lobbying to have the USDA change the pyramid to reflect the low fat and cholesterol content.
The quality of peas and lentils grown in the United States, especially those from eastern Washington and northern Idaho, always have been superior on world markets. But commissioners said the quality of foreign products is improving, particularly Canada. Hungary, China and Turkey also are improving their peas and lentils.