Hello and welcome to the November 2024 NBGA e-newsletter!

First and foremost, thank you to all the growers, processors, and others who produced and harvested the 2024 crop of beans! In addition to wrapping up bean harvest, the last month has been busy for Northarvest Beans Growers Association in other ways, too. As you will see in our newsletter, we officially launched the Seed to Stovetop series and shared about this video series in a live news segment with North Dakota Today. We also attended events like Bridge2Food, to ensure that beans always have a place at the table during important events and conversations. Keep reading for more updates.

We hope that everyone has a nice Thanksgiving and enjoys some delicious bean dishes on their holiday table!

"Seed to Stove top" Episode 2 goes LIVE THURSDAY, November 14th @ 7pm on the NBGA Youtube page!

November 2024 Newsletter Table of Contents:

• Bean Poll
• NBGA ACTION ITEM: Call for Director Nominations
• NBGA ACTION ITEM: Call for Resolutions
• North Dakota Trade Office Visit to Dotzenrod Farm
• AgWeek 2024 Dry Bean Tour
• USDA Weekly Dry Bean Market Review
• NBGA Talks Bean Day
• Thank You, Bean Day 2025 Sponsors
• Seed to Stovetop Series
• Bean Institute: Beans for Thanksgiving
• Bean Nutrition Corner: Benefits of Farm to School
• Northarvest in the News and on the Move
• US Dry Bean Council Updates
• The Dry Bean Scene

Bean Poll

In the October 2024 newsletter poll, we asked you about where you get most of your Northarvest and other dry bean news. Thank you to everyone who participated in our poll! Based on the votes received, there was a tie for first place between this monthly e-newsletter and the Northarvest BeanGrower magazine. Below is a full breakdown of responses.

We are grateful to have multiple outlets to share important bean news. We hope readers are enjoying the updates and find them helpful!

For our November 2024 poll, please click below to indicate your answer. As always, we will reveal the response breakdown in next month's newsletter.

November 2024 poll: Which bean did you harvest the most volume of this year?

North Dakota Trade Office Visit to Dotzenrod Farm

NBGA Talks Bean Day

Reminder: Please share your Bean Day memories!!

Bean Day is only about 2 months away!! Bean Day 2025 will be our 50th Bean Day, and NBGA is working hard to make this one extra special to celebrate the occasion. Be sure to mark your calendars for the social on January 16 and the main Bean Day 2025 schedule on January 17, at the Holiday Inn in Fargo.

Please Help Us Commemorate Northarvest & Its Growers

NBGA would like to share your memories and photos of previous Bean Days. For example: Why do you go to Bean Day? What stands out to you from past Bean Days? What has made Bean Day an event to put on your calendar?

Please send all memories and photos to info@northarvestbean.org

NBGA would like to thank the following businesses for joining us as Sponsors and helping us put on what we hope will be the best Bean Day yet!

Plan on joining us in person Friday, January 17th at the Holiday Inn of Fargo - or tune in to the livestream of the event!

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 USDA Weekly Dry Bean Market report will be released soon. You will be able to find that report here.

• For the Dry Edible Beans Daily Grower Bids, check here.

• November 5, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices. According to the Crop Progress Report November 4, 2024, Dry Edible Beans are 96% harvested in Colorado."

• October 29, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices. According to the Crop Progress Report October 27, 2024, Dry Edible Beans are 88% harvested in Colorado, 96% harvested in Nebraska, and 95% harvested in Wyoming."

• October 22, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices. According to the Crop Progress Report October 20, 2024, Dry Edible Beans are 73% harvested in Colorado, 93% harvested in Nebraska, 99% harvested in Idaho, and 91% harvested in Wyoming."

• October 15, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices. According to the Crop Progress Report October 14, 2024, Dry Edible Beans are 95% harvested in Minnesota, 44% harvested in Colorado, 98% harvested in Michigan, 81% harvested in Nebraska, 96% harvested in North Dakota, 88% harvested in Idaho, and 87% harvested in Wyoming."

• October 8, 2024: "Compared to last week: Trade remained light with mostly steady bid prices. According to the Crop Progress Report October 7, 2024, Dry Edible Beans are 86% harvested in Minnesota, 35% harvested in Colorado, 94% harvested in Michigan, 76% harvested in Nebraska, 88% harvested in North Dakota, 80% harvested in Idaho, 95% harvested in Washington, and 75% harvested in Wyoming."

Seed to Stovetop Series

We have several exciting updates about our Seed to Stovetop Series!

Series Launches on NBGA YouTube

The first video in the Seed to Stovetop Series has been released on the NBGA YouTube channel. Amber Estenson (aka @ThatMidwesternMom) discusses her involvement in this series and how she is helping promote beans with Northarvest. In the video, Chelsea Didinger (A Legume a Day) asks Estenson how she would add beans to her famous Snickers salad. Listen to hear Estenson's answer and much more!

Video linked here, or click on the image below.

Series Promoted on North Dakota Today

Jed Brazier, NBGA Marketing & Communications Director, and Amber Estenson were on the air with North Dakota Today to share about the Seed to Stovetop Series. In this 5-minute segment, Brazier explains what Northarvest does, noting that NBGA is the largest group of bean growers in the United States. He also explains the vision of the series and their goal to help people gain an appreciation for farming and the story of how beans get to our table. Especially considering that so many of the beans grown in the United States are produced in the Northarvest region, this story is of particular importance to our communities!

In the news segment, Estenson says, "It's been one of my favorite gigs this year. It has been so much fun!" She also shares some of the key takeaways and learnings she has had during filming this series.

Watch the full segment by clicking here or on the image below.

"Seed to Stovetop" Episode 2 goes LIVE THURSDAY, November 14th @ 7pm on the NBGA Youtube page!

The Bean Institute shares about the history of beans in American Cuisine:

The beans that Columbus discovered in the New World have traveled the globe now, but they remain part of America’s national identity. Long before European settlers arrived at Jamestown, Native Americans were cooking dry beans. In fact, beans, squash and corn provided such good sustenance that the natives were generally healthier than the early immigrants.

Native Americans introduced the settlers to the combination of dry beans and corn that today we call succotash. Some historians even speculate that succotash appeared at the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving.

With Thanksgiving just a couple weeks away, we wanted to share a few ideas of ways to include beans in your celebration.

Image from the Bean Institute

Image from the Bean Institute website

Image from the Bean Institute website

More from the Bean Institute

Did you see the Bean Institute's October 2024 newsletter? The featured topic dove into the importance of beans in Latin American Cuisine. With Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated from September 15 to October 15, this was an especially timely topic.

As stated in the post, food is an ideal way to celebrate, and beans are a perfect choice: "In Latin cuisine, beans are an essential ingredient that has been passed down through generations. Whether it’s black beans, pinto beans or kidney beans, these versatile legumes play a crucial role in Latin American cooking, offering both flavor and nutrition."

You can see a snippet below, or click here to read the full post.

Did you know that October is Farm to School Month? In honor of schools and communities around the nation celebrating the importance of local agriculture last month, we wanted to share a bit about Farm to School programs and what the research says about them.

Mission & Elements of Farm to School

The Farm to School Program was established in 2012 by USDA to benefit student wellness and help schools connect with local producers. The mission of the National Farm to School Network is to increase "access to local food and nutrition education to improve children’s health, strengthen family farms, and cultivate vibrant communities." To achieve this, procurement and education are both core elements of Farm to School. Procurement addresses the purchase and promotion of local foods to be served in the cafeteria, or as part of a snack or taste-test. Education emphasizes participatory activities related to agriculture, food, nutrition, and/or health.

Graphic from National Farm to School Network. You can find more information and resources on the Farm to School Month page.



Benefits of Farm to School

Farm to School programs are positioned to provide market opportunities for food producers while at the same time promoting healthy eating habits in children. Based on two recent review articles in scientific journals, some of the key nutritional, economic, and social benefits of Farm to School programs that have been documented include:

• Food, agriculture, and nutrition-related knowledge. Farm to School programs are associated with increased knowledge of nutrition, which plays a role in fostering positive eating habits. Similarly, they promote greater knowledge and awareness of local farms and agriculture.
• Willingness to try fruits and vegetables. Children can have an aversion to trying new foods, but participation in Farm to School programs appears to increase their willingness to try fruits and vegetables. These programs can positively impact student attitudes about healthy and local foods.
• Healthy food selection during school meals. Several studies have tied Farm to School programs to increased fruit and vegetable selection during school meals (note that beans are counted as one of the Vegetable subgroups in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans). Making healthful eating choices from a young age can help foster lifelong healthy eating habits.
• Opportunities for farming businesses and communities. Improved access to this institutional market increases business opportunities and can help stimulate local economies. Overall awareness of local agriculture also increases through these programs.

References:

• Mishra, S. K., Khanal, A. R., & Collins, W. J. (2022). Farm-to-school programmes, benefits, health outcomes and barriers: a structured literature review. Health Education Journal, 81(7), 781-792. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00178969221119290)
• Prescott, M. P., Cleary, R., Bonanno, A., Costanigro, M., Jablonski, B. B., & Long, A. B. (2020). Farm to school activities and student outcomes: a systematic review. Advances in Nutrition, 11(2), 357-374. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322002617)

Graphic from Farm to School website

Moral of the story? Farm to School programs can benefit students, schools, growers, and communities.

Photo from The 715 Newsroom article

Bridge2Food North America Conference

The Bridge2Food North America Conference took place last month in Minneapolis. The conference was attended by a diverse audience of research institutes & universities, companies, agriculture experts, product innovators, and others involved in the alternative protein sector, all focused on how to produce delicious, healthy, and sustainable plant-based foods.

During the three-day event, there were several key networking sessions and numerous presentations and panels on diverse topics in the plant-based protein sector, touching on consumer trends and engagement, product development, research updates, and more. Mitch Coulter, NBGA Executive Director, attended the conference to represent Northarvest and the importance of beans to this region.

Event highlights included:

• A tour of the Bühler facility
• Baraem Pam Ismail (PPIC Director) shared about the work of PPIC, the Plant Protein Innovation Center (University of Minnesota), which is working on numerous projects, several of which include beans
• A presentation by Jason Wiesinger of USDA-ARS about his team's work on iron bioavailability in beans, which included discussion of differences seen among market classes and due to processing
• Presentations about consumer and market trends, which included legumes becoming the stars of protein replacement and information that dietary fiber is of increasing consumer interest
• Discussion of consumer perception of ultra-processed food and how many consumers are prioritizing clean label products
• Presentations and panels addressing the key role that chefs can play in promoting plant proteins, like beans
• An update was provided about how North Carolina State University was selected to develop the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State
• A panel dedicated to how to increase bean/pulse intake

Chelsea Didinger, USDBC Global Nutritional Specialist and Founder of A Legume a Day, moderated the panel titled Increasing Pulse Consumption Through Science, Policy, and Industry Collaboration. Three excellent panelists brought key insights from years of experience and diverse professional backgrounds and areas of expertise:

• Robert Loggins, Director of External Affairs and Community Engagement at Bush Brothers & Company
• Ben Bacon, Founder of Lentiful
• Jason Wiesinger, Nutritionist with USDA-ARS

Despite the numerous benefits that beans have to offer, consumption is still relatively low in many countries, including the United States. Collaboration is one key way to facilitate higher bean intake, which would then advance public health. For example, companies can utilize USDA research to design nutritious products that are also delicious and convenient.

L to R: Chelsea Didinger, Robert Loggins, Ben Bacon, Jason Wiesinger

Photo contributed by Mitch Coulter

World Food Prize Event

The U.S. Dry Bean Council had a strong presence at the 2024 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, including a display table about positive attributes of U.S. dry beans. The event was held in Des Moines, Iowa on October 29 - 31. Thoric Cederström led USDBC participation and was joined by Dave Weber of New Alliance in Nebraska.

Dave Weber and Thoric Cederström of USDBC with Jane Shey of the UN World Food Programme at the World Food Prize Event in Des Moines, Iowa

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

• ➡️ November 4, 2024: NDSU Extension Plant Pathologist Sam Markell discusses soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and its impact on dry edible beans. He encourages dry bean growers to sample their fields for SCN to reduce yield loss and shares about how NBGA funded a sampling program for growethis year.

• ➡️ October 25, 2024: NBGA Executive Director Mitch Coulter provides a recap of the 2024 dry bean harvest, saying the quality of the crop has been really good across North Dakota and Minnesota and that there are plentiful pinto and black beans. Coulter also discusses how NBGA is working with USDA on food aid and the importance of completing the Farm Bill.

• ➡️ October 21, 2024: Chair of the ND Dry Bean Council Karl Jodock of Northwood, North Dakota and Tom Kennelly of St. Thomas, North Dakota summarize how this year's growing season went. They address topics including yields, weed control, and more.

• ➡️ October 14, 2024: Johnstown Bean Company General Manager Dylan Karley says the edible bean harvest is complete on his farm and is coming to an end in his receiving area. Overall, quality has been really good and yield about average.

• ➡️ October 6, 2024: North Dakota Dry Bean Council Member Josh Ihry discusses the dry bean harvest in Hope, North Dakota. He says that with the weather conditions there has been an extended harvest, and the crop is good.