Minot-area farmers could reap benefits from a new yellow pea breeding station in southeast Minot.

Food and ag-tech company Benson Hill of St. Louis, Missouri, is working with a select group of area producers to optimize yellow pea genetics for the area’s growing conditions.

“North Dakota has long been the heart of the U.S. yellow pea growing and production region. We couldn’t think of a better place to establish our breeding program and crushing facility,” the company stated in announcing its breeding station.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to strengthen our relationships with the area’s agricultural community and to offer a growing number of employment opportunities as operations mature,” the company continued. “At this time, we’re a small, but nimble group employing two full-time associates and several contract employees during the yellow pea growing season. We’re excited to offer the local community more employment opportunities to boost the local economy in the near future as our program develops.”

Benson Hill’s program is expected to give area farmers a direct connection to opportunities in a huge and growing market.

Yellow pea is one of the fastest-growing sources of protein for plant-based meat alternatives, with a market that is forecasted to reach about $140 billion by 2029, according to industry sources. Despite this, yellow pea has traditionally received little genomic innovation, Benson Hill reported.

Benson Hill is working to shorten the typical development cycle for yellow pea varieties and the time it takes to bring yellow pea ingredients to market. The company states it is creating non-GMO yellow pea varieties that taste better, which could limit the need for additives in plant-based food product formulations. Another focus is increasing yellow pea protein content, which could reduce the need for expensive, environmentally intensive processing steps typically required to produce current commodity yellow pea protein ingredients.

“There’s a misalignment between what consumers want from plant-based food products and what commodity ingredients can deliver today. At Benson Hill, we are using cutting-edge technology and a unique go-to-market business model to address this growing disparity,” Matt Crisp, chief executive officer, said in a news release.

The program will enable Benson Hill in coming years to bring a portfolio of enhanced, non-GMO yellow pea ingredients to the plant-based protein market and the pet food and animal feed markets.

“Our current target markets are primarily in the U.S., but we continue to have exciting conversations about our technology and capabilities with companies around the globe,” the company stated

Founded in 2012, Benson Hill’s mission to build a better food system has led to a variety of crop and seed innovation programs, including the development of its Ultra-High Protein soybean, a non-GMO seed variety that is expected to require less processing, translating to less energy and water usage.