OBG attended the US Dry Bean Convention in Boston from July 19-21 and there was much discussion about the progression of the 2015 crop year. Unfortunately, eastern grower faced wet weather at planting so there is an expected impact on yield in this region.
Keven Sawchuck from Viterra provided the Canadian crop report. Overall, black bean acres are up, while pinto and white acres are down. The early spring estimate for Canadian acreage was 310,000 acres while actual acres are sitting at 336,000. This year there was limited seed stock on preferred types.
Conditions in Manitoba are excellent. The Manitoba acreage of the major bean classes is as follows:
42,000 acres of navy beans
36,000 acres of pinto beans
19,000 acres of black beans
17,000 acres of light and dark red kidney beans
Total acreage in Manitoba is 132,000 and early yield estimates are 18 bags per acre.
Ontario faced a challenging spring with wet weather affecting a large portion of the crop. Yield estimates are lower than average. The Ontario acreage of the major bean classes is as follows:
75,000 acres of navy beans
22,000 acres of kidney beans (all classes)
15,000 acres of black beans
14,000 acres of cranberry beans
21,000 acres of Japanese and other beans
Total acreage in Ontario is 147,000.
Alberta and Saskatchewan acreage is down 8 percent:
30,000 acres of pinto beans
16,000 acres of great northern beans
Total acreage in Alberta and Saskatchewan is 57,000.
The story in Michigan from Neil Mosher from Akerman Marketing is similar to ours in Ontario, with wet weather throughout the planting season and a late start for many bean growers. 60% of the Michigan crop was planted by June 2nd but some acres were lost to heavy rain. The last half of the crop was planted in late June, resulting in uneven emergence across the state. The crop is improving and growers believe there is potential for yields to be ok. The Michigan acreage of major bean classes is as follows:
110,000 acres of black beans
80,000 acres of navy beans
20,000 acres of small red beans
13,250 acres of kidney beans
Total bean acreage in Michigan is 230,700.
According to Dan Fugleson of Central Valley Bean, planting went well in the MinDak region. Overall the crop is of high quality and has good yield potential. The MinDak acreage of major bean classes is as follows:
360,000 acres of pinto beans
175,000 acres of navy beans
155,000 acres of black beans
73,000 acres light and dark red kidney beans
15,000 acres of pink beans
Total bean acreage in MinDak is 821,900.
Source: Ontario Bean Growers