Test early peas crop grows well in Chowan County, NC, farmers

 Frozen Green Pea Even though a late spring frost and heavy rains resulted in loweryields, 10 Chowan County farmers' first commercial venture with Maypeas was enough of a success that most plan to grow them again nextyear. A New Jersey frozen vegetable packager for the first timecontracted with farmers south of Delaware to grow the green sweetor English peas because the crop could be planted and harvestedhere earlier. "We'll be a little below our budget expectations," saidAndrew Carpenter, agricultural field manager for Seabrook Bro s.and Sons, a family-owned and operated business in southern NewJersey. Seabrook processes 150 million pounds of frozen vegetables,according to the company's Web site, markets its own brand andsupplies products around the country and in South America, theMiddle East and Canada. "We're pleased overall," Carpenter said after the last ofthe peas were harvested at the end of May. "You have to dealwith the weather that's brought on you; that's something you can'tchange." The Edenton-area farmers grew 600 acres of the peas, said MikeWilliams, the county's agricultural extension agent. In the past,farmers might have grown only 3 to 5 acres, he said. "It went fairly decent," said West Small, who with histwo brothers owns Virginia Fork Produce Co. in Edenton. Despite bad spring weather, he said, enough growers are interestedin trying to plant May peas again next year. Seabrook singled out Edenton, in part, because the Smalls have ahydro-cooling system that uses a cold-water rinse that chills andlowers the temperature of the peas for transport to Seabrook'sprocessing facility. A.J. Smith and Sons grew 50 acres of the spring peas and had prettygood luck, said Doris Smith, whose four sons are farmers. The peas were harvested early enough so traditional crops such assoybeans, cotton or peanuts could still be planted on schedule. "I think there's a good opportunity" for farmers here,Carpenter said when the peas were planted in March. "They'retaking a chance." "We want to do it again next season," he said later."We'll review the project with the growers and evaluate how wecan improve."