Central Oregon’s dry conditions and plentiful irrigation water may make the region ripe for a crop more commonly grown in India, the Middle East and Mediterranean Europe: chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans.

Chickpeas require a dry climate and carefully controlled watering, which Central Oregon’s irrigation provides, explained Brian Duggan, a soil pathologist for Oregon State University’s extension service.

Duggan invited Central Oregon’s farmers and agriculture community to tour two experimental fields near Terrebonne and Prineville where 14 varieties are being tested for future cultivation in Central Oregon. Five farmers are under contract to grow chickpeas in Central Oregon for Round Butte Seed Co., which subcontracts with Kelley Bean Co. in Othello, Wash., Duggan said.

He’s testing to see whether the beans have a future in Central Oregon and, if so, in what varieties.

This year’s harvest may determine the future of chickpeas in the region, said Ed Clark, a field man for Round Butte Seed. After a strong first year, last year’s harvest was average at best, he said.

”We need to be at and above the last couple of years’ average yields,” he said. ”If it makes a financial return for the growers, that’s the (desired) end result.”

The beans are in high demand in the United States for use in salads. They also serve as a protein supplement for vegetarians around the world. Smaller-size varieties are used to make hummus.

Chickpeas also make good rotation crops for farmers, suppress weeds and add nitrogen to the soil.

Despite its advantages, disease may force local farmers to stop growing chickpeas.

Dean Davis, owner of Ochoco Farms in Prineville, likely won’t grow chickpeas next year after the ascochyta fungus wiped out this year’s crop.

”The first year went pretty well, last year was a draw and this year’s fields are pretty much a wreck,” he said.

For Davis, the margins are too slim to make growing chickpeas worth it.

”If everything goes well, I might make $100 an acre,” he said. ”This year, I’m almost certain that I’ll lose money. If it’s going to be a crapshoot, it’s not worth it.”

With less infestation of the ascochyta fungus on his crops, this season’s harvest turned out better for Rex Barber Jr., owner of Big Falls Ranch west of Terrebonne.

Barber limits his crop to 150 acres to maintain a four-year crop rotation and reduce the risk of infestation.

”It’s a real viable alternative for people farming large acreages,” he said. ”We’re still learning how to manage the crop, though.”

In his third season farming chickpeas, Barber agreed with Davis that the margins for success in the chickpea crop are pretty tight.

”The economies are getting more difficult all the time,” he said. ”But, garbanzo is a low-input, moderate-returning crop that fits well into our rotation. These advantages make it a more profitable crop.”

Last year, a dozen farmers in Central Oregon grew chickpeas on approximately 1,400 acres. This year, the numbers fell to six farmers growing chickpeas on between 700 and 800 acres, Clark said.

”That’s why they’re evaluating other varieties to determine the value of the chickpea in this region and whether it can become a niche specialty crop,” he said.

Farmers renegotiate their contracts every year with Kelley Bean, said Ed Lamens, manager of Washington operations for Kelley Bean.

Some farmers will not want to replant the crop. A lot depends upon price, he said.

But, for Kelley Bean, quality is all that matters.

”Just because something yields greater, it’s not worth a dime to the industry,” Lamens said. ”Size, color and (beans’ suitability for canning) are all that matters.”

One of the largest bean com-panies in the United States, Kelley Bean provides garbanzo beans to all the major canneries in the United States.

The price of garbanzo beans on the global commodities market has fallen as low as 12 cents per pound in recent years, Lamens said, but the prices are now in the mid-20-cent range.

”It’s a nice crop because it’s drought resistant and requires minimal input,” he said. ”With a fair yield, it could give you a good year, but is it going to save the family farm? No.”