The dust stirred from the combine harvesting fields of chickpeas, charging
forward like an auburn tsunami barreling across the scenic fields of the Palouse.
On a Saturday morning in late August, farmer Ian Clark
shifted his gaze back and forth along the header –
the front of the combine that gobbles up garbanzos from the field – to check for rocks or anything hazardous that could damage his 40,000-pound
crop-cutting behemoth. Clark, 35, scanned every inch of the header to make sure it didn’t tip too far one way or the other. He also checked to see if the combine was swallowing too much dirt, which could cause the draper, essentially a conveyor belt leading chickpeas to the grain tank, to jam. The sickles of the combine cut much closer to the ground for garbanzos then they would for wheat, which meant
keen attention to detail was paramount. The plumes of dust clouds slowly faded into the thin veil of wildfire smoke permeating the air as Clark’s business partner, Brady Shelton
, 42, rode parallel in a combine of his own. Together, the pair of combines have 2,500 acres of pulses to go through for harvest – 1,600 acres of garbanzos, also known as chickpeas, and 900 acres of lentils in Whitman County. Pulses are the edible seed of plants in the legume family. The most common form of pulses are lentils, beans, chickpeas and split peas. Clark and Shelton represent a growing number of farmers who believe in the power of pulses. The Western Regional Climate Center reported that 2025 was the driest summer on record for Pullman, with only 0.51 inches of rainfall, compared to its average of 2.6 inches. With the advent of hotter, drier summers,
crops like garbanzo beans and lentils are gaining attention because they need less water to grow, not to mention their health benefits.
USA Pulses set a goal to double
production and consumption of all pulse crops by 2030. This means it’s up to farmers like Clark and Shelton to help achieve that goal. Both combines hummed as they went along at a steady 5 mph. A whizz that sounded like a toy laser gun
emitted from the combine whenever the header lifted above where the crop level was set, signaling that the computer that tracks yield, moisture and other important data had stopped recording. In total, there are 7,000 acres of wheat, canola, lentils, hay and garbanzos that Shelton, Clark and their third partner, Ian’s cousin Gavin Clark,
have to gather before wintertime. On an average day, Ian Clark said they can get through 300 to 400 acres over the course of 11 to 12 hours. When the day is over and the sun begins to set, Ian Clark and Shelton climb down their retractable ladders and stare across the fields. From where they are, near Smoot Hill, they can see for miles in every direction.
“You’re just kind of in awe,” Ian Clark said. “It’s like the ocean.” Ian Clark is a fifth-generation farmer whose family homesteaded on the Palouse in 1883. Since his great
-great grandfather arrived, he
estimates they’ve lost around 3 feet of soil because of erosion. The Clark farm used to have six owners, but today it’s split evenly three ways. The newest owner,
Shelton, is the first non-blood relative to own a piece of the pie after Ian Clark’s uncle decided he wanted to sell his portion about 10 months ago. Shelton, who worked in construction for 14 years before becoming a farmer, handles much of the machinery and is a talented welder. Ian Clark, on the other hand, focuses on agronomy and handles much of the paperwork. He
graduated with an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, where his mom is from. Afterward
, he attained his masters in crop science from Washington State University, where he worked on developing a perennial wheat. For both Shelton and Ian Clark, a family farm isn’t so much about having the same last name
; it’s about having skin in the game. “If the people farming, doing the work, running the land are the people that own it,” Ian Clark said, “then that’s more of a family farm.”
He said they don’t so much follow weather patterns when it comes to choosing what to plant as much as they follow market trends.
Until about 2000,
the Palouse was considered the lentil capital of the world.
It accounted for 98% of nationwide lentil production in 1989. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in 2020 that 72% of all lentils grown in the United States came from Montana, 15% of lentils were from North Dakota, while Washington sat at 8%. Tim McGreevy
, the CEO of USA Pulses for the
past 30 years, said he’s seen a huge growth in pulses, specifically lentils, over the years. When he started the job, there were about 400,000 acres of pea, lentil and chickpea fields in the United States. About a quarter of that acreage was lentils. “
Today we are producing nearly 1.1 million acres of lentils,” he said. McGreevy and USA Pulses have an ambitious goal of doubling both production and consumption of all pulse crops by 2030. Pulses, which are a high source of dietary fiber, are nutrient-dense and can
help with many of the chronic diseases running rampant in
the country, McGreevy said. Obesity, cardiovascular disease, even the risk of contracting certain kinds of cancers is
decreased by eating more pulses, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.
And a study from the Clinical Nutrition Journal reported that participants who had a high intake of pulses also had a 35% lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. The other remarkable thing about pulses, McGreevy said, lies in their root nodules. Through the process of nitrogen fixation, bacteria in root nodules called Rhizobia convert atmospheric nitrogen into food. “You plant them, they start to grow
and they literally make their own lunch and dinner,” McGreevy said. “Then they leave a little extra for the following crop, which makes them so important in a cropping system. You can grow a better wheat crop, a better canola crop, a better barley crop, after a pulse crop.” During periods of war, famine and even during the Great Depression, McGreevy said families relied on pulse crops because of their affordability and the amount of protein they provide.
But for farmers like Shelton and Ian Clark, doubling production and consumption of pulses won’t come without its share of obstacles to overcome. Ian Clark said their farm could
grow more pulse crops, but
because of disease pressures, like Ascochyta Blight, they’re at a level of production they believe is sustainable.
When examining USA Pulse’s goal at a national level, Ian Clark believes pulses need to enter new regions. Beyond that, he believes change starts at a consumer level. Ian Clark said having lentils in an Indian dish is delicious, but eating them plain won’t blow anyone away. Apart from hummus, not many Americans know what to do with garbanzos.
Russ Zenner
, 79, is a retired farmer based out of Genesee, Idaho, who used to farm on 3,000 acres before he handed the reins
to his cousin, Clint Zenner
. His son and daughter-in-law, Chris Zenner
and Janine Zacca Zenner
, own a company called Zacca Hummus. All the garbanzo beans they use for the hummus they make are sourced from the Zenner Family Farm. Russ Zenner took over his family farm in 1970 and served in a leadership position on the USA Pulses council, known then as the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, when McGreevy became
CEO. “My general observation would be that in a lot of the pulse growing regions, you will not be able to double the acreage,” Zenner said. “As far as the productivity, it’s going to have to come with genetics, biological products enhancing yields, but it’s going to have to be more pulse crops in more growing regions. It’s going to have to be competitive on the economic side to make that happen, as far as grower value.” Looming uncertainty over the current state of tariffs is also cause for concern. The
pause on tariffs provides little to no comfort for farmers like Ian Clark and Shelton, who worry that reciprocal tariffs placed on U.S.-grown crops by other countries could make pulses from Eastern Washington too expensive.
Ian Clark said a 60- or 90-day pause is not enough time for his crops to get cleaned, sit around until a buyer is found, get driven to Tacoma and loaded onto a ship. Shipping, even if the garbanzos and lentils are cleaned and ready to go, goes at a snail’s pace because container shipping is backed up. Pulse crops are a low priority, Ian Clark said, because they’re heavy and cheap. But the problem with exporting pulses is not a recent development. India, the largest consumer of pulses in the world, closed its market in 2019 during an earlier trade dispute. “It just about killed the garbanzo market here,” Shelton said. Even with increased consumption domestically, McGreevy said that for USA Pulses to reach its goal, international markets need to be open to American exporters. Farmers across the board, not just pulse growers, face a number of challenges apart from tariffs hanging overhead. One of those is the lack of youth in agriculture. A report from the Department of Agriculture found only 9% of the country’s 3.37 million producers were younger than 35 in 2022. Shelton said 12- to 13-hour days, seven days a week during the busy season make finding employees an ordeal. Even during the winter, farmers are often busy fixing equipment and getting ready for spring. With more than 700 tires across all their equipment, Shelton admitted Les Schwab loves the business they bring. Another cause for concern for Ian Clark and Shelton spawns from the impending status of the Farm Bill, which Ian Clark said he is very nervous for. The current Farm Bill is the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Year after year, the same bill is pushed forward despite significant pushback for revision. The problem is that there’s considerable disagreement over what revisions should look like. The Farm Bill has historically linked SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, with farmers. SNAP accounts for 81% of the Farm Bill budget, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Many Republicans want to see SNAP separated from the Farm Bill, like House Agriculture Committee Rep. Kat Cammack , R-Fla., who said after a speech at the American Sugar Alliance in August 2023 that she expected the debate over the farm bill “will be the biggest political dogfight in modern history.” That was more than two years ago. The deadline for a new Farm Bill is Sept. 30. Ian Clark said if the urban Democrats and rural Republicans are pitted against each other over the content of the Farm Bill, it could be devastating for farmers across the nation. He bought his dad’s share of the farm six years ago when he was 30. He said he probably won’t see a significant return on investment until he retires. “You’re buying out until you’re selling out,” said Ian Clark . A good year for them is determined by yield and price, while cost of production ranks third. Ian Clark’s first year owning a share in 2019, was an average of one for yield, but the price was low. This year, the price for everything, except for pulses, also was low, Ian Clark said. Yields are also a little down because of the ongoing drought. All in all, Ian Clark said it was a below-average year, but considering it was such a trying one, it’s not as bad as he initially thought it would be. He said the “million-dollar rain” that should come in June never came.
Back in the day, Ian Clark said his business would be classified as a large farm at 7,000 acres. Today, it’s more of a mid-sized farm. As the government continues to favor large-scale, industrial farms, something that started during the 1970s with Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz’s philosophy of “Get big or get out,” smaller farms could get swallowed whole by the need for continued growth. This, in turn, can hollow out rural communities. Ian Clark said all the trucks, tractors, trailers, combines and other equipment needed to run a farm are so expensive that only existing farmers can afford them. The fine line between maintaining rural economies and communities and keeping farmers in business is a tenuous one. The one thing both Republicans and Democrats can agree on, Ian Clark said, is that Americans as a whole need to eat healthier. Pulses are a great option, but healthier food is sure to bring about another inescapable, harsh truth – higher food prices. With Ian Clark’s hand resting on the hopper trailer where the auger from his combine just dumped 18,000 pounds of garbanzo beans, he couldn’t help but give praise to the area he lives in. He points to Schweitzer Mountain, the NRS sporting goods store in nearby Moscow and both Washington State University and the University of Idaho as contributing factors to the vibrant rural community in the Palouse region. “If it was just farming, there’s no real community,” Ian Clark said. “So how do you expect your kids to come back if there’s no one around? I’m so lucky to be able to raise my kids in an environment where there’s people, where there is a rural community. A lot of farming areas just don’t have that, and that really bothers me because we need more farmers, not less farmers.”
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