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NDSU Extension to Host Dry Bean Webinar

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Farmers and crop advisers will have an opportunity to receive dry bean production and market updates during a ‘Getting-it-Right’ webinar that North Dakota State University Extension is conducting. The webinar date and time period are Wednesday, April 15 from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
 
NDSU Extension, with support by Northarvest Bean Growers Association, conducted a live, full-day dry bean workshop at two locations in northeast ND in late January. “The educational event was well-received and valued by participants indicated by written evaluations”, according to Greg Endres, NDSU Extension cropping systems specialist.
 
“This webinar will provide more concise presentations to reach additional dry bean producers and managers with research-based production recommendations for 2020,” says Ryan Buetow, NDSU Extension cropping systems specialist, who is providing technical support of the webinar.
 
The dry bean webinar subjects that will be covered live by NDSU Extension crop specialists are:
  • Market types and variety review, and plant growth stages – Hans Kandel, Extension agronomist
  • Recommendations for selected plant establishment factors – Endres
  • Soil considerations and plant nutrition – Dave Franzen, Extension soils specialist
  • Disease management – Sam Markell, Extension plant pathologist
  • Weed management – Joe Ikley, Extension weed science specialist
  • Market update – Frayne Olson, Extension crops economist
 
Preregister for the webinar: https://tinyurl.com/NDSUdrybean
 
To join the webinar, go to https://tinyurl.com/jointhedrybeanwebinar. You should log in a few minutes before the start of the webinar because it will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m.
 
The webinars will be recorded. Speakers can be contacted later to answer questions that result from the webinar. Certified Crop Adviser continuing education credits will be available.

USDBC Response to COVID-19

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The U.S. Dry Bean Council is up and fully operational during this challenging time for the country and for the entire world. All global events are canceled through the end of May and possibly longer, as the USDBC reevaluates in accordance with global standards and recommendations.
 
U.S. and global staff are all working full time from home offices and keeping global programs running. Programming will be moving to digital platforms in the very near future to make up for the current inability to conduct site visits and in-person trade servicing.
 
As agriculture is considered a critical industry, farmers are working full steam ahead to prepare for dry bean planting and to allow the industry to continue to meet U.S. and global demand without interruption. The USDBC will be communicating more frequently through all social media and digital means.

Dry Bean Marketing Opportunities in Chile

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The U.S. Dry Bean Council conducted a market scoping trip to Chile in December 2019 to study recent increases in dry bean imports and new opportunities for the U.S. Interviews with the Chilean dry bean industry as well as official production statistics confirm that domestic dry bean production is half of what it was a decade ago and will not recover since farmers shifted from dry beans to other crops that have higher profit margins, particularly fruits and vegetables.

While Chile used to be an important exporter in the region, it now exports fewer than 2,000 MT of domestic beans a year. Chilean importers are interested in establishing direct relationships with US suppliers and learning more about US dry beans – including quality, phytosanitary measures, varieties, and availability.

Domestic demand is around 30,000 MT with Chile producing about half that amount. The top suppliers are currently Argentina (due to proximity and familiarity) and Canada (largely due to relationships that started with the lentil trade). There is greatest potential for Pintos, Great Northern beans, followed by DRKBs (especially for canning or quality packaging), Black beans (depending on Argentina’s supply and price) and possibly small red beans.
In addition to a dozen packaged brands (both manufacturer brands and supermarket private label), prepared foods are an important market segment and there is growing demand for healthy, non-allergenic, organic and plant-based foods. Prepared beans in Tetrapaks and cans take up the same amount of space in supermarkets as packaged beans. We feel there is potential to establish new export streams of U.S. origin dry beans to Chile and will continue to work on this throughout 2020. Full scoping report is available on the USDBC members only webpage.
 

Bean vendor in the central market in Santiago

(Source: U.S. Dry Bean Council)

The Impact of Coronavirus on Dry Bean Programming

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The primary concern with the outbreak of the coronavirus (CORVID-19) is the health and well being of U.S. Dry Bean Council staff and industry members. New travel and event restrictions are still being announced, with the greatest impact on China and other parts of Asia. Because China is such a large trading partner, the economic and health impacts of the virus are being felt around the world. Logistical slowdowns from some countries are reported on shipments of various goods into China and vice versa. No major developments have been identified on other shipments of food and agricultural commodities by USDBC representatives.
 
Food and Hotel Asia (Singapore), the largest international food show in Southeast Asia, originally scheduled for late March/early April has been postponed until July. However, Thaifex-ANUGA Asia 2020 in Bangkok remains on-track for May 28 – June 1. At ANUFOOD 2020, which is scheduled for March 9 – 11 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, large areas that are reserved for the Chinese delegation will be empty. No one is attending from China and the organizers are not allowing others to take that space. China is Brazil’s largest trading partner. Read more.

Weekly Dry Bean Market News

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Dry bean trading activity is slow to steady with very good demand, according to USDA’s Weekly Market News. Contract product is moving steady. North Dakota and Minnesota grower prices for pinto beans are at $32 to $35 per cwt. Black beans remain steady at $25 to $27 per cwt and navy beans are at $28 to $30 per cwt. Kidney bean prices for Minnesota remain steady at $38 to $46 per cwt.

Weekly Dry Bean Market News

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Dry bean trading activity is slow to steady with very good demand according to USDA’s Weekly Market News. Contract product is moving steady. North Dakota and Minnesota grower prices for pinto beans are at $32 to $35 per cwt. Black beans remain steady at $25 to $27 per cwt and navy beans are at $28 to $30 per cwt. Kidney bean prices for Minnesota remain steady at $38 to $46 per cwt. View the full report.

Weekly Dry Bean Market News

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Dry bean trading activity is very limited with very good demand according to USDA’s Weekly Market News. North Dakota and Minnesota grower prices for pinto beans are at $32 to $35 per cwt. Black beans remain steady at $23 to $26 per cwt and navy beans are at $28 to $30 per cwt. Kidney bean prices for Minnesota remain steady at $38 to $45 per cwt. View the report.

Dry Bean Scene

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Specialty crops make up about ten percent of the total crop acreage in the United States, which makes dry beans an important piece of the 2020 outlook. Get the details in the Dry Bean Scene on the Red River Farm Network, made possible by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association.

Promising Niche Market Opportunities in Peru

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The U.S. Dry Bean Council recently concluded a fact-finding mission to Peru. U.S. agricultural exports to Peru increased from $424 million in 2008 to $1.3 billion in 2018. Currently, the U.S. is the largest agricultural product supplier with 31 percent market share. About two-thirds of U.S. agricultural goods enter the country duty free, including dry beans. In marketing year 2017/18, the U.S. exported 4,147 metric tons of dry beans to Peru. This is due primarily to lower Peruvian dry bean production and increased demand for navy beans for food assistance programs, which drove up U.S. exports.
 

Weekly Dry Bean Market News

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According to USDA’s Weekly Market News, trading activity remains slow for dry edible beans with very light demand. Contract product is moving steady. Grower prices for all classes of dry beans remain unchanged from one week ago. View the report here.