America's wheat farmers are doing something different these days. They are not planting much wheat.
Part of the reason is that there is too much wheat for sale. That has caused prices to go down. Farmers do not make as much money.
Other crops are also in more demand. People want foods with a lot of protein. That substance in food is an important part of the human diet.
So farmers are planting the fewest acres of wheat in almost 100 years. Instead, they are planting high-protein crops such as chickpeas and lentils.
A very big area of the U.S. grows wheat. In the south, it includes parts of Oklahoma and Texas. It goes north through Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. It also includes eastern Oregon and Washington.
This year's wheat crop was 45.7 million acres. That was the smallest since 1919.
Crazy With Chickpeas
There were 603,000 acres of chickpeas. That may not seem like much. But it is up nearly 86 percent over last year.
Kirk Hansen farms 340 acres in eastern Washington. "People have gone crazy with chickpeas," he said.
They have gone crazy with lentils, too. Farmers have planted a record 1.02 million acres this year.
Both chickpeas and lentils are legumes. They are high in protein and fiber.
Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans. They can be roasted or used to make hummus.
Lentils look like a flat seed. They are cooked in soups and stews. But they also are used in cereals and even chips. They add extra fiber.
Kelly Weikel works at Technomic. The firm watches food habits in the U.S.
She says 20 percent of us report eating at least one meatless meal a day. People are getting more protein from plants instead of meat.
Global Tastes
The demand for chickpeas and lentils also shows our growing taste for food from other cultures. More than a quarter of U.S. households now eat Middle Eastern food.
Sales of store-bought hummus were at $10 million in the late 1990s. This year, sales have grown to $800 million.
Part of the reason is that there is too much wheat for sale. That has caused prices to go down. Farmers do not make as much money.
Other crops are also in more demand. People want foods with a lot of protein. That substance in food is an important part of the human diet.
So farmers are planting the fewest acres of wheat in almost 100 years. Instead, they are planting high-protein crops such as chickpeas and lentils.
A very big area of the U.S. grows wheat. In the south, it includes parts of Oklahoma and Texas. It goes north through Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. It also includes eastern Oregon and Washington.
This year's wheat crop was 45.7 million acres. That was the smallest since 1919.
Crazy With Chickpeas
There were 603,000 acres of chickpeas. That may not seem like much. But it is up nearly 86 percent over last year.
Kirk Hansen farms 340 acres in eastern Washington. "People have gone crazy with chickpeas," he said.
They have gone crazy with lentils, too. Farmers have planted a record 1.02 million acres this year.
Both chickpeas and lentils are legumes. They are high in protein and fiber.
Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans. They can be roasted or used to make hummus.
Lentils look like a flat seed. They are cooked in soups and stews. But they also are used in cereals and even chips. They add extra fiber.
Kelly Weikel works at Technomic. The firm watches food habits in the U.S.
She says 20 percent of us report eating at least one meatless meal a day. People are getting more protein from plants instead of meat.
Global Tastes
The demand for chickpeas and lentils also shows our growing taste for food from other cultures. More than a quarter of U.S. households now eat Middle Eastern food.
Sales of store-bought hummus were at $10 million in the late 1990s. This year, sales have grown to $800 million.
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