U.S. wheat plantings are the smallest in nearly a decade because of low market prices and large stockpiles worldwide, so growers in traditional wheat states are experimenting with alternative crops, says The Associated Press. They are dabbling in “crops that might be less iconic but are suddenly in demand, such as chickpeas and lentils, used in hummus and healthy snacks.”
Grain market analyst Todd Hultman told the AP that farmers are responding to surging consumer demand for healthy high-protein food from plant-based sources. He included sunflowers, along with lentils and chickpeas, in the list of alternative crops. North Dakota State University estimated growers in the the southwestern part of the state would lose money on wheat this year but earn as much as $105 an acre from small chickpeas.
“How long the new trend will continue is unknown,” said the AP. Plantings of the alternative crops are relatively small in scale to wheat — a record 1.02 million acres of lentils along with 603,000 acres of chickpeas were sown this year, compared to 45.7 million acres of wheat. Some farmers are expected to switch back to wheat when prices recover, but others may stick with the alternative crops because of attractive returns.