Former Colfax family named 2017 Lentil Family of the Year

Kurt and Chris Braunwart have not lived in Colfax since 1984, but the couple has been doing business on the Palouse ever since they first arrived here in 1980. Today, they operate ProGene Plant Research, LLC, in Othello, and their business brings them to the Palouse often.

“We have a lot of research trials north and south of Pullman,” said Kurt. “We have lots of customers from Spokane to Lewiston to Walla Walla. We spend a lot of time on the Palouse.”

Their family was recently named the 2017 Lentil Family of the Year at the Western Pulse Growers Association annual meeting in December.

Kurt and Chris moved to Colfax in 1980 from Twin Falls, Idaho, and Kurt worked as plant manager at Rogers Brothers Seed Company here. They moved to Othello in 1984, and in 1995, they purchased a dry pea breeding program from Rogers Brothers.

“We went into business for ourselves, and we've had our own business since then,” said Kurt.

Their customers handle lentils, peas and chick peas, and Kurt was able to work on the Palouse for several International Year of the Pulse events and activities last year. His crew planted plots on the Moscow-Pullman Highway next to the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council office.

“We did trials for all the crops involved in the International Year of the Pulse,” he said. “And it was fun!”

The plots were all labeled to indicate the pulse, and several visitors stopped by throughout the summer to take a look at the varieties.