February 24, 2026
The allocation injects institutional demand into the U.S. pulse complex at a sensitive stage of the 2025/26 marketing year, reinforcing market stability as the new crop cycle unfolds amid shifting supply dynamics.
Split peas account for $24 million of the USDA’s $75 million pulse purchase package, with federal procurement expected to channel institutional demand into the 2025/26 marketing year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to purchase up to $75 million in dry beans, lentils, chickpeas and dry peas as part of a broader $263 million agricultural commodity package aimed at supporting producers and nutrition assistance programs. The purchases will be made under USDA’s Section 32 authority, a longstanding mechanism used to support commodity markets and nutrition programs.
The pulse allocation includes:
USA Pulses welcomed the move, positioning it as support for both producers and food security channels.
Tim McGreevy, CEO at USA Pulses, said the announcement provides “meaningful support for American pulse producers while helping deliver nutritious, affordable food to families across the country,” adding that the $75 million investment recognizes “the essential role pulses play in both uplifting rural and agricultural communities and promoting food security.”
The purchases will help “stabilize farm income, strengthen rural economies, and ensure food banks and nutrition assistance programs have access to shelf-stable, protein-rich foods,” he said.
Paul Kanning, Chairman of USA Pulses and a pulse farmer in Montana, said the investment supports “the full commodity supply chain,” from growers and processors to families relying on nutrition assistance programs.
The pulse allocation forms part of a $263 million federal food purchase initiative, reinforcing USDA’s use of standing procurement tools to stabilize farm income while supplying nutrition assistance programs.
For 2025/26, U.S. pulse acreage expanded across several major categories following prior price-driven adjustments, with dry peas, lentils and chickpeas all registering year-on-year increases in planted area. Yield prospects in parts of the Northern Plains further supported lentil and pea production, while dry bean output remained more class-specific and regionally sensitive, particularly where weather variability affected planting and development conditions.
Entering the marketing year, stocks of several pulse categories were already higher year-on-year, reflecting improved production alongside shifting exports dynamics in the previous cycle. In that context, federal purchases might be unlikely to materially rebalance aggregate supply, though they can provide a psychological floor during periods of slower commercial offtake.
Expanded pulse acreage across key Northern Plains states defines the 2025/26 crop outlook, as growers move through a cycle of evolving trade flows and rebuilding balance sheets.
From a broader food systems perspective, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) identifies pulses as among the most cost-effective sources of dietary protein per unit, while also highlighting their agronomic contribution through nitrogen fixation — a feature increasingly relevant in high-input cost environments.
For a major exporting origin like the United States, pulses serve a dual function: globally traded commodities and domestically strategic food staples. Within that framework, the $75 million allocation can be modest in volume terms but carries greater significance in timing, reinforcing demand channels at a transitional stage in the 2025/26 cycle.
Pulses 26 / US agricultural policy / USDA food purchases / US farm income support / US commodity markets / US crop production 2025/26 / US food security programs / US pulses
Disclaimer: The opinions or views expressed in this publication are those of the authors or quoted persons. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Global Pulse Confederation or its members.
