An industry development specialist for pulses says edible bean acreage in Manitoba could drop slightly this year.
Last year, Manitoba farmers grew about 128,000 acres of dry edible beans, but this year, Dennis Lange of Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development says numbers look to be closer to about 100,000 to 110,000 acres.
"But saying that, there are still a lot of undecided acres," Lange says. "Come springtime if market prices improve a bit and growers have some good contracts to choose from, we could see the acres maybe maintain themselves to what last year's numbers were."
Last week at the edible bean meeting held in Altona, one guest speaker said edible bean production is an art. Lange says this is true because there are many variables in bean farming, for example, he says variety selection is key.
Source : PortageOnline