The USDA’s  February Vegetable and Melons Outlook suggests steady to modestly higher edible bean acres.  Early analysis points to an increase in area for Black and Navy beans, with much smaller increases possible for garbanzo, light and dark red kidney, and pinto beans.

Most key factors point to increased dry bean area with average grower bids hovering near $30/cwt. this should translate into an increase of 1 to 3% in seeded area over last year’s 1.54 million acres.

Lower input costs for dry beans, very attractive prices for most all dry bean classes (especially Black, Navy, and Great Northern), relatively good export demand, the beginnings of an economic recovery in domestic markets, relatively low stocks, and lower prices for important competing crops such as corn, soybeans, and barley will help and encourage planting from the cost of production and input side.

For the full report click here

Calgary, Alberta

Mark your calendar for: November 3 – 5, 2010.

Building on previous successful workshops, researchers will be presenting their latest results.

Come and hear updates on: Nutrition and Health; Plant Breeding Initiatives; Novel Uses of Pulse Crops; Pulse Agronomy, Diseases and Insects; Pulses and the Environment.

For the Preliminary agenda and registration details click
8th CPRW Invite

“Think Outside the Pod”
presented by: Ontario Coloured Bean Growers’ Association
~ All Bean Growers Welcome – Past, Present Future ~
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Community Centre, Kirkton, ON
9:50 am – 3:00 pm

For the full agenda and registration details click

Latest March 4 Agendadraft

The Ontario Bean Producers’ Marketing Board (OBPMB) of directors has issued an interim payment to all growers who delivered beans to ‘the Pool’ of $10.00 per bag or $220.46 per Mt.  The cheques are in the mail as of February 19^th 2010.  This is an interim payment which is additional to the initial payment of $22.07/bag ($486.56/Mt.) for a total payment to date for Pool beans of $32.07/bag or approximately $707.00/Mt. less licensing fees that were deducted at harvest.  A final payment for beans delivered to the Pool will be made in late September or early October once the OBPMB has undergone its annual audit.

Dry bean acreage could see an increase in Manitoba this year, says a story from Syngenta Farm.
Roxanne Roels, executive director of the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association Inc., said early indications suggest dry bean area in the province could climb to around 150,000, up about 10,000 acres from the previous year.
Last year’s good yields, and favorable that current prices are the driving factors.
Read more of the story here