So Far Jerry’s Peas Are Looking Good

This is a shot of my high risk crop taken Saturday morning. I grow peas under contract with Birds Eye Foods in Waseca. Peas are a short season crop and this field is projected to be harvested about the Fourth of July. I call peas a high risk crop because they are much more sensitive to adverse weather than corn, beans or sweet corn. Peas cannot handle weather that is too hot, wet or dry. However, if the weather cooperates you can get great yields and revenue per acre.

In addition to possible great yields and revenue growing peas, there are a number of other reasons farmer's grow peas. If your peas are harvested by about the Fourth of July you have the opportunity to plant "pea beans" or a second crop of beans after peas. If the weather cooperates you have the potential of 30 bushel beans planted by the Fourth of July. Livestock farmers sometimes have peas for a place to haul manure in the summertime. I have a neighbor who pumps a hog nursery pit every year on my pea field after it is harvested. Crop farmers also grow peas so that the field can be tiled in the summer time.