The first commercially grown black eyed pea crop on the Western Slope was recently harvested on a farm near Delta, Colorado. Colorado State University participated in the pilot program to introduce black eyed peas as an alternative crop to the more water thirsty pinto bean crop traditionally grown in the region.
Mike Ahlberg, Ahlberg Farms on California Mesa, said that not only did the crop use less water than his pinto bean crop, it also produced a higher yield.
"Ten acres did 24,800 pounds is what it did so right at twenty four sacks instead of the fifteen to eighteen," said Ahlberg.
Ahlberg says growing the crop did present a few challenges, but overall they made the necessary adjustments. He said they didn't need to buy any additional equipment.
"We actually used our green combine to combine these because the way these. They stood straight up. The pods were off the ground, probably oh four or five inches."
Ahlberg said the crop was initially too wet for harvest and had to be aerial sprayed to dry it out.
"I had actually put a defoliant on them because they were staying green. The pods were dry, but everything was still green," said the farmer.
After this year's successful harvest, the Delta farmer said he's game to do it all over again next year and do it even better.
"We're going to do it again because there was some stuff that we didn't get done. I guess you'd say, if you call it correctly, putting some nitrogen stuff on it to make it do this and do that. And so next year we'll try to do it right," Alhberg said.
CSU College of Agricultural Science out of Fruita provided the black eyed pea crop seeds and conducted research before and after harvest. The first commercially grown black eyed pea crop on the Western Slope will now be shipped to Sterling, Colorado and buyer Trinidad Benham.
