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Dry bean yields higher than expected

Michigan dry bean growers have been pleasantly surprised by yields in recent weeks.

ADM edible bean grower relations manager Neil French tells Brownfield up to 70 percent of the crop has been harvested in the Saginaw Bay region.

“We normally have better yields, but this year we thought they were going to be a lot worse than what they were,” he shares. “They’re still below average, but they’re very respectable and quality is top-notch.”

French says expectations had been low because excessively wet conditions in the Thumb caused some fields to be abandoned and stands looked less than ideal.

He says while the cost of dry beans has increased for consumers, it has not been reflected in farmer prices.

“This really has not a lot to do with the price of beans in the can—it’s the freight and everything else that’s involved with the manufacturing and such,” he says.

French is expecting dry bean harvest to run through the end of October.