Hello!

Welcome to our February 2024 e-newsletter. We enjoyed seeing many of you in person at Bean Day 2024 in January and hope those who could not attend were able to enjoy the programming online via the live-stream.

Northarvest Bean Growers Association has been busy, and you will find many interesting and important updates in this newsletter, as well as a brief recap of Bean Day 2024.

February 2024 Newsletter Table of Contents:

• Bean Day 2024 Photos
• Bean Day 2024 Awards
• Bean Day Poll
• NBGA Member Profile
• USDA Weekly Dry Bean Market Review
• NDSU Extension Research & Resources
• Midwest Dry Bean Coalition
• NBGA Partners with a Chef
• Bean Institute: What Type of Bean Should I Use?
• Bean Nutrition Corner
• Northarvest in the News and on the Move
• US Dry Bean Council Updates
• The Dry Bean Scene

Below, you can find links to the most recent USDA Weekly Dry Bean Market Reviews. Click on the date to see the report.

• The next report will be released this week. You will be able to find that report here.

• February 6, 2024: "Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices. According to NASS Crop Production Report January 12, 2024 dry edible beans harvested for 2023 was 1,156,900 acres with a yield of 2,067 pounds and lentils was 523,000 acres with a yield of 1,098 pounds and chickpea had 359,200 acres with a yield of 1,315 pounds and dry edible peas had 941,000 acres with a yield of 1,922. The next report will be released February 13, 2024."

• January 30, 2024: "Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices."

• January 23, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices."

• January 16, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices."

• January 9, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices. Bean Day is January 19, 2024 in Fargo, ND."

On January 30, 2024, NDSU Extension hosted the Getting It Right Dry Bean Production webinar. Speakers covered a wide variety of topics, including variety performance, soil considerations, plant nutrition, weed management, disease management, and a market update.

➡️ You can find the recording to this year's webinar here. Or, click on the image below.

Looking for other helpful resources from NDSU Extension? Here are links to the dry bean variety trials and the weed control guide:

➡️ You can find the Dry Bean Variety Trial Results here.

➡️ You can download the PDF of the 2024 Weed Control Guide here.

Midwest Dry Bean Coalition

In October 2023, NBGA and North Central Bean Dealers Association formed the Midwest Dry Bean Coalition. You may have already heard about the newly formed Coalition on the Dry Bean Scene, or read about in AgWeek or NBGA's print publication, Northarvest Bean Grower. The Coalition's goal is to demonstrate the strong nutritional and environmental benefits of beans grown in our region to buyers, through collecting data and better relaying this information to buyers.

The Midwest Dry Bean Coalition has four initial priorities, to commission the following:

1. A life cycle assessment of dry edible beans, which you can read more about here or in the Winter 2024 Bean Grower
2. An economic contribution study of dry edible beans in our region (find more info here or in the Winter 2024 Bean Grower)
3. An advertising company to work with agencies like USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service to increase beans available in the marketplace
4. The Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses (CAP), which is working to increase the recommended intake of beans and other pulses in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

➡️ Read more about the Midwest Dry Bean Coalition here or in the Winter 2024 Bean Grower.

Beginning in the fall of 2023 and continuing into the winter of 2024, NBGA partnered with Chef Lauren Zobac to promote beans. Chef Lauren developed six bean-centric recipes, and accompanying instructional cooking videos were filmed at Family Wellness Fargo.

The recipes feature pinto beans, black beans, baby reds, great white northern, and cranberry beans, and the goal was to showcase the diverse use and delicious ways to enjoy beans. The bean recipes and videos will help NBGA & Bean Institute reach a wider consumer audience and help get more people excited to cook with beans.

We asked Lauren to tell us a bit more about her experiences with beans: Below, you can find her responses to a couple of the questions, and we will share more responses when we release the first video next month - keep an eye on this newsletter and watch out youtube channel for updates!

• See the coverage in the Winter 2024 BeanGrower Magazine

Q&A with Chef Lauren Zobac

Sweets with beans? Sounds intriguing, perhaps a sneak peek photo of one of the upcoming recipes will better whet your appetite...

May we present Red Bean Crinkle Cookies - and believe us when we say these are DELICIOUS!

This month, we are sharing some very helpful information from the Bean Institute, which is one of NBGA's primary public outreach arms. A common question many people have is: Do I have to use the exact kind of bean that a recipe calls for? To answer this question and decide upon good potential bean substitutions, it helps to understand the main characteristics of different types of beans.

In their post, titled What Type of Bean Should I Use?, the Bean Institute provides a great chart with descriptions of ten types of beans, approximate cooking times, and dishes in which they are commonly used. For example, they share that:

• Dark Red Kidney Beans are large, kidney-shaped beans with a deep, glossy red skin. They have a firm texture, and they hold up well in soups or other dishes that cook for a long time. Dark red kidney beans are used in soups, cold bean salads, and chili.
• Pinto Beans are medium-size, oval-shaped beans with mottled beige and brown skin. Like cranberry beans, pinto beans lose their mottled appearance when cooked. Pinto beans are the most widely produced bean in the United States and one of the most popular in the Americas. Pinto beans are used to make Mexican refried beans.

➡️ Read the full post on their website, here.

In a recent social media post on this topic, the Bean Institute also explained that, "One type of bean usually can be substituted for another in recipes. The taste and color may vary slightly."

For this month's Bean Nutrition Corner, we are sharing about the nutrition and health panel at BeanCon24: Food as Medicine, How Beans Make Us Healthier. Dr. Chelsea Didinger of A Legume a Day moderated the panel, comprised of an excellent group of panelists:

• Nick Buettner of Blue Zones
• Dr. Raymond Glahn of USDA Agricultural Research Service
• Dr. Henry Thompson of Colorado State University

Chelsea did a brief overview of the impressive nutritional profile of beans to provide some context for the panel discussion. This included highlighting how rich beans are in dietary fiber, protein, and potassium. Then, she invited the panelists to the stage.

Here are some of the main points addressed by each speaker during their presentation:

Nick Buettner, Blue Zones. Nick discussed how poor diet is the leading risk factor for deaths in most countries around the globe. The idea of food as medicine showcases how a healthy diet can help reverse this, allowing people to live healthier, happier lives. Blue zones are areas around the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives, with a much larger percentage of people living to be 100 years or older. Beans are one of the primary staple foods in blue zones. Nick said that the Blue Zones organization recommends having about 1 cup of cooked beans per day to help promote health.

Raymond Glahn, USDA ARS. Ray addressed the topic of iron nutrition, and how current research by his team and network of colleagues demonstrates how beans can improve iron status. Globally, iron nutrition poses a significant challenge to health, and low iron levels can result in anemia. Even in the United States, iron deficiency anemia is a problem. Beans are rich in iron, but the iron content found in beans is not always the same as the actual iron bioavailability. Ray explained how compounds in beans can reduce iron bioavailability, or the amount of iron that our bodies can actually absorb. His research shows that the bean seed coat is the primary factor in controlling iron nutrition in beans, with lighter color beans often having higher iron bioavailability. Among varieties with high iron bioavailability are Manteca yellow beans and slow darkening pintos, like those developed by Dr. Juan Osorno. Not only do these beans have more bioavailable iron, but they tend to cook more quickly. This can help save energy - which factors into sustainability claims and also is highly relevant in areas around the world where people have to gather fuel to cook beans over an open fire. How beans are processed also impacts iron bioavailability. For example, they found that white kidney bean pasta had higher iron bioavailability than did whole cooked white kidney beans. This appeared to be the case for lighter colors of beans, but the same trend was not seen when comparing cooked whole black beans and black bean pasta. Overall, the findings of Ray and his colleagues can be used to improve iron nutrition, and also to provide potential marketing opportunities for growers, processors, and companies alike.

Henry Thompson, Colorado State University. Henry shared about the power of beans to greatly improve health outcomes, and how industry and consumers can work together to realize these benefits. He explained how beans can play an important role in the promotion of gut health, as well as nutrient status, longevity, and chronic disease prevention. Henry also provided a sneak peek into a clinical trial that is underway. They will have participants consume bean smoothies and monitor several outcomes, such as hydrogen and methane released in the breath and changes to the gut microbiota, as a way to investigate flatulence and gut health. The clinical trial has been approved and is using reduced sodium cannellini beans from Bush's Beans. In just one can (1.5 cups cooked beans), there is over 30% of the daily protein requirement and there are about 27 grams of dietary fiber. That means that eating the contents of just one can will already help people essentially meet the daily recommendation for fiber. Henry concluded with a call to action: beans should be everywhere! They should be in a wide variety of food products (for instance through incorporation of bean flours), and we should all be adding them to a wide variety of dishes, like smoothies and bread.

Moral of the story? If you are looking for a nutrient-dense food that is associated with many health benefits and is a cornerstone of the diets of the healthiest, longest-lived populations in the world, beans are the answer!

Several members of NBGA attended the USDBC Winter Board meeting and BeanCon24. Joe Mauch (NBGA Vice President. US Dry Bean Council Delegate), Kevin Regan (NBGA US Dry Bean Council Delegate, ND Dry Bean Council Treasurer), and Eric Samuelson (previous NBGA President, incoming US Dry Bean Council Delegate) represented growers from our region. Mitch Coulter, NBGA Executive Director, also attended the Winter Board meeting via Zoom.

As previously mentioned, NBGA was the sponsor of the Bean Extravaganza for BeanCon24, which was very well received. Below, you can see a photo of the full menu of the 8 dishes created by Chef Carlos Leal for the Bean Extravaganza.

You can find out more about how NBGA members are representing the dry bean industry and advancing opportunities for growers in our most recent publication of the Bean Grower, linked below.

Outgoing Council Members recognized for their service @ Bean Day 2024

NBGA would like to thank Ryan Peterson and Don Stueve for their years of service on the Council and efforts on behalf of the many committees during their time with Northarvest.

• Ryan Peterson, MN Dry Bean Research Promotion Council - Area 4

Ryan was elected to the Minnesota Dry Bean Research & Promotion Council in 2020 and represented area 4. Ryan provided important support to committees including Research, Legislative, Promotion, Food Aid, and Marketing & Communications. 

Northarvest Bean Growers Association & the Minnesota Dry Bean Research & Promotion Council thanks Ryan for his 3 years of commitment to the service of the dry bean farmers of Minnesota and North Dakota.

• Don Stueve, MN Dry Bean Research Promotion Council - Area 3

Don was elected to the Minnesota Dry Bean Research & Promotion Council beginning in 2008 and provided steady guidance through 2023. Don finished as Vice President of the Council and served many important committees including: Promotion, Crop Insurance, Communication, Food Aid, Research, Education & Sponsorship. 

Northarvest Bean Growers Association & the Minnesota Dry Bean Research & Promotion Council thanks Don for his 15 years of service to the dry bean farmers of Minnesota and North Dakota.

Northarvest Bean Growers Association and the Minnesota Dry Bean Research & Promotion Council welcome Ryan Ammermann and Dan Ohden to the organization.

• Dan Ohden, MN Dry Bean Research Promotion Council - Area 4

Dan Ohden was elected to the Minnesota Dry Bean Research & Promotion Council serving Area 4 from Raymond, Minnesota. Ohden has been appointed to the Research and Marketing & Communications committees. Dan is currently serving as Secretary for the Council. 

• Ryan Ammerman, MN Dry Bean Research Promotion Council - Area 3, Vice Chair

Ryan Ammermann was elected to the Minnesota Dry Bean Research & Promotion Council serving Area 3 from Clara City, Minnesota. Ammermann has been appointed to the Research and Education & Sponsorship committees. Ryan is currently serving as Vice Chair for the Council. 

2024 has been a busy year so far for the US Dry Bean Council. Read more below about recent updates and happenings.

The Dry Bean Scene is sponsored, in part, by NBGA. Click on the links below to listen to the most recent episodes.

• ➡️ February 2, 2024: NDSU Crops Economist Frayne Olson reflects on the 2023 market for dry beans. The industry could be looking to add acres of pinto beans in 2024 by providing incentives to growers.

• ➡️ January 21, 2024: Greg Endres, NDSU Extension Cropping Systems Specialist, discusses the upcoming Getting It Right in Dry Bean Production webinar (on January 30, 2024). Topics will include variety selection, plant establishment, soil management, market updates, weed and disease management, and more.



• ➡️ January 15, 2024: Sam Markell, NDSU Extension Plant Pathologist, comments about things he saw in 2023, discussing soybean cyst nematode and common blight.