Eastern Montana Farmers Sought for New Disease Detection Program to Protect Pulse Crops

SIDNEY — Montana State University is seeking farmers in five eastern Montana counties to participate in a new pulse crop survey program designed to identify and prevent disease outbreaks that could devastate pea and lentil harvests.

The program, launched by MSU’s Eastern Agricultural Research Center with $147,000 in funding from the Montana Pulse Crop Committee, represents a proactive approach to protecting crops that have become increasingly vital to Montana’s agricultural economy.

Pulse crops — dried legumes such as dry peas, lentils and chickpeas — get their name from the Latin word “puls” meaning thick soup, reflecting how these protein-rich seeds have been consumed for thousands of years. Montana has led the nation in pulse crop production since 2011, making disease prevention critical to maintaining that leadership position.

“Pulse crops have become a key component of dryland cropping systems in Montana, but often, diseases are either first detected when a major outbreak is identified or develop very slowly and are difficult to identify,” said Frankie Crutcher, an associate professor of plant pathology at the Eastern Agricultural Research Center and director of the new program. “There is currently no system in place to detect and respond to outbreaks, so this scouting program is a proactive approach to prevent outbreaks that can cause devastating losses.”

The program will scout at least 30 pea and lentil fields beginning in 2026, with scientists visiting participating farms roughly every two weeks during the growing season. Farmers in Daniels, McCone, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Valley counties are invited to participate by providing field histories and allowing access for monitoring.

MSU scientists will scout for pests, diseases and other threats, including herbicide-resistant weeds. They will partner with MSU Extension’s Schutter Diagnostic Lab to identify new threats and work with Extension offices to provide individual reports to each producer.

The investment from the Montana Pulse Crop Committee aligns with the organization’s strategic plan to accelerate research and innovation in Montana’s pulse sector. The committee, established in 2017, represents producers who contribute checkoff assessments to fund market development, research and education programs.

Crutcher said the program is modeled after similar efforts in North Dakota and Canada. Beyond collecting baseline data that doesn’t currently exist for eastern Montana pulse crops, the surveys will strengthen relationships across the agricultural community and identify research priorities.

“If we can show what the problems are and have data for that, then researchers both on and off campus can write grants and develop projects to better support farmers’ needs,” Crutcher said. “Predictive models are being developed for some of these diseases, so we can also be boots on the ground to test them and see how they work, which would be fantastic, helping us to develop more tools that producers can use.”

The first phase of data collection will continue through the 2028 growing season, with funding supporting the program’s initial year. Crutcher said the goal is to continue the program long-term and expand to other counties, including northern Montana, where pulse crop acreage is steadily increasing.

Pulse crops offer particular value in Montana’s dryland farming systems because they are nitrogen-fixing plants that improve soil health and reduce fertilizer needs. This makes them popular rotation crops with wheat and other grains.

The program emphasizes real-time communication with producers. Scientists plan to report findings back to participating farmers and the broader community throughout the growing season, rather than waiting for annual reports.

“You can do the best work in the world, but it doesn’t count for anything if no one sees you doing it,” Crutcher said. “All summer, we want to be out in producers’ fields scouting for pests and diseases, and then in real time reporting results back to those producers and the community at large.”

Farmers interested in participating can complete a contact form on the Eastern Agricultural Research Center website.

For more information, contact Frankie Crutcher at [email protected] or 406-433-2208.