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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen Agriculture, 2003-03-19, Page 48THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003. PAGE A-23. Dry beans The promise of higher returns, the ability to expand the season and their harvesting window has more and more growers in Eastern Canada interested in dry beans as a viable and profitable option. Walt Vermunt, food products division, field marketer for Hensall District Co-op, says the past five years have forced producers to look for alternatives to help make ends meet. Growers have looked to white beans as the alternative as evidenced by acres in Ontario that have expanded from a recorded low of 35,000 acres just a few years ago to 90-100,000 of white bean acres this past year. “Growers are looking for more ways to make ends meet. We are seeing a lot of soybean and com growers enter this market for that very reason.” Mark Penhale of Wayside Farms in Woodham agrees with the profit potential of dry beans. “Our farm has been producing dry beans for the past 50 years. I’ve seen the number of growers entering the market increase rapidly.” Penhale believes that people tend to enter the market if they haven’t been able to make money on current crops. “Sometimes, newcomers are better at growing dry beans than traditional growers are.” Penhale also sees beans as a good bet to widen your planting and harvest window. “You plant in June when the com is already in and harvest in early - growing alternative in Eastern Canada fall in time to plant winter wheat. Essentially, dry beans help to expand your use of the land and the overall growing season.” Mike Schneider in Chatham, looked to dry beans as an alternative nearly 10 years ago. “Even then, the potential to make higher profits than with soybeans was evident,” he says. “I had 125 acres of kidney beans, darks and light this past season. If you have a good crop you have the potential to do a lot better than with soy. More people in the area arc growing white beans because the returns are better.” But with the possibility of improved profits comes the unique challenges of producing and exporting top quality produce that meets the elite demand of todayfs marketplace. “They can be finicky plants especially in Ontario where the climate is changing,” Penhale concedes. “Coloured and white beans like temperatures under 30 degrees and good air quality.” Both growers note the importance of keeping beans on better ground. “It’s well worth it to keep coloured beans on good land. They are not as hardy as soy.” “With soy, you plant them and forget them. Even though you have to baby-sit coloured beans a bit more, it is extremely worthwhile,” Schneider says. “There is more that could go wrong, but there is potential for a huge payoff if all goes well.” A technical specialist Scott It’s a sign to slow down MacDonald, says that first time specialty bean growers will notice that this crop requires a bit more time and attention. “With larger potential for profits come higher potential risks. Managing risk by controlling disease with a proactive spray program is a necessity to protect such an investment and the spread of disease.” Even in dry years such as this past season, growers were caught late with the rain and once you have signs of disease it is too late. “Diseases such as white mould can devastate an entire bean crop,” says MacDonald. “The use of certified seed and proper crop rotation are all contributors to successful bean production.” For those looking to enter the growing market, Vermunt sites a few mandatory guidelines for growing dry beans. “Rotate your crop, don’t plant beans on beans and use certified seed.” From the field to the finished product, Vermunt works closely with growers to help them manage the best possible crop from their fields — from variety trials conducted onsite at Hensall and other locations, to field scouting with growers. Canadian dry bean production has increased sharply from 133,000 tonnes in 1996-97 to 294,000 tonnes in 1999-2000 (Agriculture and Agri Food Canada, Vol. 13, No. 16). Vermunt sees a bright future for food producers that can grow high- yielding, top quality dry beans. “The future of the dry bean industry looks promising for the Canadian export market.” World dry bean production has been trending upwards during the 1990s reaching 19.37 million tonnes in 1999-2000. The top 10 producing countries, India, Brazil, U.S., China, Mexico, Myanmar, Indonesia, Argentina, Uganda and Canada account for about 75 per cent of the total world production (Agriculture You've picked the perfect seed - now plant the perfect7 row • Superior Seed Singulation • 1/2 inch to 4-inch planting depth • Improved Seed Meter Access • Easy-to-View Seed Depth Indicator • Quick Release Hoppers INTRODUCING THE WHITE 8000 SERIES PLANTERS You've done your research, prepared your field, and picked the perfect variety. 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