Wednesday, July 06, 2011
At the right hand of Borlaug
Garbanzo has lost his best friend.
Jim Evans of Genesee, Idaho died last week.
Heaven's best table has a new seat. Norman Borlaug, Luther Burbank and George Washington Carver have a new dinner partner, who by all accounts should liven things up a bit.
Garbanzo has lost his best friend.
Jim Evans of Genesee, Idaho died last week.
About three decades ago, Evans and his father pioneered a chickpea crop on the family farm overlooking the Lewiston/Clarkston valley. In conjunction with university and government researchers, the Evanses took a crop that was almost completely disregarded, provided land to test and modify it, weathered a brutal crop-killing blight, and helped make the humble garbanzo bean a regional success story.
These days, farmers in the Pacific Northwest plant more than 80,000 acres of chickpeas, driven largely by a surging market for hummus.
“It’s the fastest-growing snack food in the United States,” said Tim McGreevy, a longtime friend of Evans and the CEO of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council in Moscow. “And most of that hummus you’re consuming is coming from right here in the Pacific Northwest.”
A fourth-generation farmer, Evans became a true force in Northwest agriculture before he died June 26 at age 55.
“He was a very loving, kind, generous man,” said his wife, Diane. “He could talk to a fence post and get a reaction.”
Evans served in leadership positions in many agricultural organizations, and he helped lead the effort to establish peas, lentils and chickpeas as subsidized federal crops in 2002. He provided land for crop testing for more than three decades – not just for chickpeas, which became his main focus, but also for varieties of other crops and new ways of controlling weeds and insects. He hosted an annual barbecue and tour of regional farms to showcase new varieties and research.
Heaven's best table has a new seat. Norman Borlaug, Luther Burbank and George Washington Carver have a new dinner partner, who by all accounts should liven things up a bit.
Labels: Carver
¶ 4:24 PM
