Episode 12

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Published on:

19th Aug 2026

Replacing Fallow with Pulses in North Central Montana

Todd Hansen is a fourth generation farmer in Gildford, Montana. He’s been growing pulses since the 90s with a current rotation that includes winter wheat, spring wheat, durum, barley, yellow peas, chickpeas, lentils, canola, and mustard. Over the past several years, he has transitioned from a traditional 50-50 winter wheat/fallow system to a more diversified 75-25 winter wheat, lentil, and oilseed rotation. Hansen is a member of the Montana Pulse Crop Committee and has served on the boards of the Montana Grain Growers Association, the Montana Grain Fund, the National Association of Rural Communities, and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. In this episode, he shares some lessons he has learned growing pulses over the years, his challenges with chickpeas and how he’s made lentils work in his rotation despite pressure from weeds, pests and disease.

“ I feel like it is not my farm. It is either my great-grandfather's or my great-grandkids', and I am just here to be a caretaker for a little while and hope to God that I pass it on in at least as good a shape, if not better shape, than how I found it when it was passed to me. I just feel like a placeholder.” - Todd Hansen

This Week on Growing Pulse Crops:

  • Meet Todd Hansen, a fourth generation pulse crop farmer in Gildford, Montana
  • Explore what led Hansen to become an avid pulse grower on his family’s operation and how he has worked them into his rotations
  • Discover how Hansen sees the future market of pulses and what producers can do to capture it

Growing Pulse Crops is produced by Dr. Audrey Kalil and hosted by Tim Hammerich of the Future of Agriculture Podcast.

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About the Podcast

Growing Pulse Crops
The science and business of farming field peas, chickpeas, and lentils
This show features the latest in research, agronomy, and economics of pulse crops (peas, chickpeas, lentils, etc.).

Demand for these nutrient-dense, high-protein foods continues to grow. There is also interest from farmers to include more pulses into diverse rotations for benefits like nitrogen fixation and soil health.

But the industry continues to face challenges, and we are eager to address these head on. So if you’re a pulse grower or in any way interested in these important crops, hit subscribe and stay tuned for future episodes. We’ll be back with plenty of information about challenges pulse farmers are facing throughout the U.S. and what solutions are working.

Brought to you by the Pulse Crops Working Group with support from the Northern Pulse Growers Association

About your host

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Tim Hammerich

I share stories about agriculture, agtech, and agribusiness on podcasts and radio.