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What about copping off with a cash prize?
Think you have right stuff?
Then develop an innovative food product containing pulses?
Check out Mission Impulseible – here
Registration deadline is February 13th – don’t delay!
To see what others have done previously check it out here.
Ontario Dry Bean Variety Performance Trials now available at GOBEANS.ca
The 2011 report of Ontario Dry Bean Variety Trials is now available on the Ontario Pulse Crop Committee website at GOBEANS.CA.
The new website includes reports for white, black and other coloured bean types.
Users can download individual or multi-location summary information, variety characteristic information and compare varieties head to head.
Growers can now easily compare varieties head to head and evaluate performance for their area.
For further information contact Brian Hall, OMAFRA, Stratford.
South Africa Grain Information Service (SAGIS) sees a drop in bean acres – fourth in a row for that that country. Seeded area is expected to drop by 11% while production could hold steady, if there is a reasonable growing season.
South Africa (RSA) can import and resell beans (from China) at prices that free up RSA farmers to plant corn, soybeans, and sunflower. [Editors note: and presumably be more profitable at that].
Meanwhile North America is expecting a sizable jump in acres for 2012 and a concomitant drop in prices. Not everyone expects pronounced price weakness however. Acres and trend line yields may be just enough to restock the pipelines and keep grower prices up sufficiently to entice growers for the next year 2013. This early in the season one can hardly predict – with any accuracy – how good the coming year’s harvest or prices will be.
Last week’s USDA NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) confirmed what had been suspected since long before harvest. The North American dry bean crop is at its lowest level in decades. Poor weather was responsible. Mexico suffered a drought that will cut production nearly in half, while a wet spring up through the Red River valley curtailed US and Manitoba acres. Poor weather and lack lustre pricing in Ontario saw growers cut acres back. North America may become a net importer of beans as prices will likely remain firm into Spring. The question most asked now is: “Can or will the prices shown to North American producers compete and draw acres from the traditional crops?”
Those interested in statistics click here and scroll to page 59
The Ontario Bean Producers’ Marketing Board approved a $22.44 / bag ($494.76/Mt.) interim payment at its December 15th 2011 Board meeting. The cheques went out just before Christmas. This payment when added to the initial payment of $21.39/bag ($471.58/Mt.) results in a gross return for pool growers of $43.83/bag or $966.34/Mt.
More complete information from SAGARPA, Mexico’s Ag. Ministry, and industry has dropped edible bean production estimates for that country by just over 30% -
estimated output is now set at 600,000 Mt. down from 880,000 Mt. The spring / summer harvest was devastated by drought with nearly twice as many acres affected in 2011 as there were in 2010.
The following was reported as part of the December 6th Statistics Canada crop production report. “In Ontario, white bean output for 2011 is estimated at 31,800 tonnes, with coloureds at 45,300 – up slightly from 30,400 and 43,800 in October – but far below 2010 production …”
Certainly the 2011 white bean (WPB) crop is ‘far below 2010’ however cumulative tallies of deliveries reported to the Ontario Bean Producers’ (OBPMB) would indicate a 2011 crop of just over 41,000 Mt.
The Annual District Meetings are as follows:
District 1 & 2: Dec. 13th, 2011 at 12:00 pm, at the Best Western Stoneridge Inn, London ON
District 3 & 4: Dec. 15th, 2011 at 7:30 pm at the Seaforth Curling Club
February 7 – 9, 2012
Toronto International Centre
Sign up on line : www.canadianfarmshow.ca by January 31st,
get a 3 Day Free Pass
with your VIP Code click here
The window of a picture perfect harvest running up to Canadian Thanksgiving has been slammed shut by recent near torrential rains.
The edible bean harvest was, until then a tale of opposites. Some areas were experiencing unexpected better than trend yields. This was a pleasant surprise given the difficult planting season and then the variable growing season with some areas too wet others too dry.
Anecdotal reports from the coloured bean harvest:
some fields still standing and likely candidates for crop insurance claims -
disappointing yields – 12 to 15% below trend, from fields that looked average – relatively good pod set but poor seed filling and high harvest field losses.
White Bean harvest is an opposite story – for the most part. There are reports of scattered fields still standing throughout the growing region – possibly 10 to 12% of planted acres. Those growers fortunate enough to have hit the sweet spot for the planting window and did not experience lack of moisture, and were able to harvest were pleasantly (ecstatically) surprised. Yields were at least 15% above trend, quality was outstanding and prices were even better.
Some growers are running soy/edible bean dollar benchmarking comparisons in preparation for next year. From within the Coloured Bean growing fraternity there is a feeling that with the present disappointing economic returns coloured bean acres will not be there next year, even if there is a 50 dollar a bag sign up price. White beans on the other hand may be a different story.
Two grower stories:
Grower A – comparing two fields – one of IP soybeans the other white pea beans
IP soybeans – 57 bu./Ac. Priced at $12/bu.
$684 gross per acre
White Pea Beans 27 bags per acre –
15 bags at $35 $525 gross /Ac.
11 bags at $47 $517 “
Total $1042 gross per acre
White Bean returns in this case are better than 50% that of soybeans on a Gross basis. There are however attending risks which were avoided and extenuating circumstances. For this particular grower who had above trend yields and very good quality there will be low or nonexistent discounts.
Another grower’s story – Grower B shows edible beans giving him $130 gross over his IP Nattos. Average yield and discounts on the edible beans with below trend yields for his soybeans makes edible beans “a wash” for him.
Posted Ontario grower “board” price for current crop white beans is $46/bag. Indications for 2012 crop for limited acres are at $45. There will be various twists and caveats for these contacts so growers are advised to read and understand them thoroughly before signing.
In other jurisdictions:
Michigan harvest is virtually complete and reports have yields from poor (15 bags) to a high of 30 bags per acre. Black beans seem to be out yielding Navies on a head on head comparison. Michigan grower board prices were reported the same for both market classes – $49 – with some elevators withdrawing bids for black beans.
The Michigan “out market” (elevator selling price) on current crop Navies is indicated at $60/bag moving steadily to 62 and some indications that 65 may be the next high water mark.
New crop grower price for Michigan Black beans is indicated at $42/bag. Usually Navies (White Pea Bean) and black bean prices track parallel however there is little grower interest reported at a $42/bag Navy price for 2012.
In North Dakota, North America’s largest edible bean growing area, yields are reported down by 15%. A difficult wet planting and growing season coupled with an unexpected early ‘light’ frost on the crop has put enough uncertainty into the market that sellers are withdrawn. Meanwhile the out market for Min/Dak 2012 Navy beans is a nominal $50 – 52 with a grower price of $40 to 42.
Meanwhile back in Ontario growers will try salvage what they can from the remains of a weather capped crop. But until then as they sit and wait it out, one of their rain day tasks will be weighing their appetite for risk and cropping options for 2012.
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