With alternative crops such as dried black-eyed or pink-eyed/purple hull peas, it is generally preferable to have a contract for growing the crop before planting. However, this market is fairly well established throughout the South and in California, so it may be possible to sell the crop successfully without having a production contract. Growers are advised to identify their markets as early as possible, rather than waiting until after harvest. It may be possible to direct market dried black-eyed or pink-eyed/purple hull peas to a food broker or retailer in Missouri.
Price for dried black-eyed or pink-eyed/purple hull peas fluctuates due to normal production and demand factors, but ranges from $0.20-0.25/lb. for the canned market, to $0.25-0.40/lb. for the dry seed market. Although this price is substantially higher than soybeans, it is offset by lower yields. Yields in the U.S. are reported at 900 to 1,350 pounds per acre, but up to 2,700 pounds per acre in California. In Missouri, yields of 1,400 to 1,800 pounds per acre should be expected with normal growing conditions and selection of an improved variety. Optimizing management on good soils would lead to higher yields. Although cowpeas benefit from good soils, their best niche, when compared to soybeans, is probably on sandy loam soils or in other moisture-limited situations. When soybean prices are low, dried black-eyed or pink-eyed/purple hull peas become more competitive — its price as a food crop is unaffected by the price of soybean, which is driven primarily by demand for livestock feed.
Production costs for cowpea are very similar to soybeans, with primary differences being post-harvest cleaning and transportation. If several Missouri farmers worked together on a common delivery point for dried black-eyed or pink-eyed/purple hull peas, transportation costs could be reduced. A double cropping practice with no additional fertilizer would keep the production costs fairly minimal for cowpea.
Overall, dried black-eyed or pink-eyed/purple hull peas can be looked at as another crop to diversify the crop base on a farm. They compare well with soybeans on sandy or drought prone soils. The fact that they are a food crop rather than a feed crop can buffer a farmer’s economic risk from variability in weather orcommodity crop prices.
How to Grow Cowpea
Growing cowpea is fairly straight forward, with management practices being similar to soybeans. Proper site selection is important. Cowpea is well-adapted to sandy soils, and will perform well on rich, well drained soils, but should not be grown on wet or poorly drained soils.
