Greetings, and welcome to NBGA's June 2025 newsletter!

By the time you are reading this newsletter, many growers in the Northarvest region will already have planted dry edible beans for the 2025 season. For those of you who have completed planting, congratulations! For those who are still planting, we wish you a productive and safe rest of the planting season. From all of us at Northarvest, we appreciate you growing such a delicious and nourishing food that will end up on kitchen tables in the United States and around the world!

In this newsletter, you will find updates about recent NBGA activities - like the Midwest Dry Bean Coalition's visit to Washington, D.C., the results of the recent BBQ Competition to select the best bean dish, episodes of the Dry Bean Scene, and much more.

Happy reading!

The Midwest Dry Bean Coalition's recent visit to Washington D.C.

Harlea Hoelscher, Dylan Karley, Sheldon Bancroft, G.T. Thompson, Nate Vanwetchel, David Scholand, John Berthold, Tom Sell

June 2025 Newsletter Table of Contents:

• Bean Poll
• NBGA in the Field
• USDA Weekly Dry Bean Market Review
• Announcement: USA Pulses Summit
• NBGA Partners with a Chef
• Bean Institute: Grilling Season
• Bean Nutrition Corner: Beans & Weight Management
• Northarvest in the News and on the Move
• The Dry Bean Scene

Bean Poll

Thank you to everyone who participated in our May 2025 poll. Based on responses received, the highest percentage of growers are growing one type of bean this season. Nearly 20% of growers indicated that they are growing two types. We wish all of you a productive and safe season - and we look forward to enjoying many delicious bean dishes with the fruits of your labor!

June 2025 Poll: How is planting going this year?

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.

• June 9, 2025: "Compared to last week: Trade remained very light with mostly steady bid prices. According to XE.com June 9, 2025, one USD is equal to 19.04 MXN. According to the NASS Crop Progress Report June 1, 2025, Dry Edible Beans planted in Idaho is 85%, North Dakota is 73%, Minnesota is 90%, Colorado is 33%, Nebraska is 63%, Michigan is 11%, and Montana is 69% and Dry Edible Peas planted in North Dakota 91%, and Montana is 95% and Lentils planted in Montana is 95%."

• June 2, 2025: "Compared to last week: Trade remained very light with mostly steady bid prices. According to XE.com June 2, 2025, one USD is equal to 19.21 MXN. According to the NASS Crop Progress Report May 25, 2025, Dry Edible Beans planted in Idaho is 72%, Washington is 96%, North Dakota is 47%, Minnesota is 75%, Colorado is 15%, Nebraska is 56%, and Montana is 64% and Dry Edible Peas planted in North Dakota 87%, and Montana is 87% and Lentils planted in Montana is 81%."

• May 19, 2025: "Compared to last week: Trade remained very light with mostly steady bid prices. According to XE.com May 19, 2025, one USD is equal to 19.33 MXN. According to the NASS Crop Progress Report May 12, 2025, Dry Edible Beans planted in Idaho is 53%, Washington is 71%, North Dakota is 15%, Minnesota is 18%, Colorado is 1%, and Montana is 41% and Dry Edible Peas planted in Idaho is 97%, Washington is 89%, North Dakota 59%, and Montana is 63% and Lentils planted in Montana is 62%."

Celebrating 25 Years of USDA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan Program 

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is celebrating 25 years of the agency’s popular Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) this month. For a quarter century, family-owned agricultural operations have received low-interest financing through the program to enhance or expand their operations and manage marketing of the commodities they produce by building or upgrading permanent and portable storage facilities and purchasing needed handling equipment. 

“Participating in FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loans program provides producers affordable financing that allows them to build an on-farm storage system the right way from day one — a system that provides grain handling capacity for years to come,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. “Many people think of grain storage when they hear on-farm commodity storage, but the reality is, the program has expanded over the past quarter century to include a variety of storage and handling options including bins, cold storage, trucks and more, all designed to help agricultural producers take their commodities from field to facility to the end user.” 

The FSFL program was created in May 2000 to address existing on-farm grain storage needs. Since the program’s inception, more than 40,000 loans have been issued for on-farm storage, increasing storage capacity by one billion bushels. While many producers primarily associate the program with grain storage, over the past 25 years the eligible storage has expanded to include a wide variety of facilities and related equipment - new or used and permanent or portable - including hay barns, bulk tanks, and facilities for cold storage. Drying, handling and storage equipment is also eligible, including skid steers and storage and handling trucks. 

Eligibility 

Eligible commodities for storage loans include grains, oilseeds, peanuts, pulse crops, hay, hemp, honey, renewable biomass commodities, fruits and vegetables, floriculture, hops, seed cotton, wool, maple sap, maple syrup, milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, eggs, unprocessed meat and poultry, rye and aquaculture. Most recently, controlled atmosphere storage was added as an eligible facility and bison meat has been also added to the list of eligible commodities.  

FSFL is an excellent financing program to address on-farm storage and handling needs for small and mid-sized farms, and for new farmers. Loan terms vary from three to 12 years. The maximum loan amount for storage facilities is $500,000. The maximum loan amount for storage and handling trucks is $100,000. In 2016, FSA introduced a new storage loan category, the microloan, for loans with an aggregate balance up to $50,000. Microloans offer a 5% downpayment requirement, compared to a 15% downpayment for a regular FSFL, and microloans waive the regular three-year production history requirement. 

How to Apply 

Loan applications should be filed in the administrative FSA county office that maintains a producer’s farm records. Producers can contact their FSA County Office to make an appointment. Beginning farmers who haven’t worked with FSA can visit farmers.gov/your-business/beginning-farmers for more information or view the New Farmers Fact Sheet. 

More Information    

For more information, visit the FSFL webpage, view the fact sheet and our Ask the Expert Blog, or contact your FSA County Office. 

➡️ You can find this news release on the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) website here.

See below for an announcement from USA Pulses about the upcoming Summit. Northarvest is thrilled that growers from our region will be on grower panels!

This month, Chef Zobac is back with another recipe - Red Bean Crackers. This is a creative, fun way to use beans, as many people are surprised when they hear that these crackers are made using beans! They make a nice snack, are good with hummus and other dips, and pair nicely with soup, too.

The official recipe video will go live on Thursday, June 12th at 7 pm Central on NBGA's YouTube page.



Be sure to keep an eye on the NBGA social channels for more videos.

Grilling season is here! Plus, by the time our next monthly newsletter comes out, we will have already celebrated July 4th. Here are a few ideas - recipes and photos courtesy of the Bean Institute's website - of ways to enjoy beans at your BBQs, picnics, and other occasions.

3 Beans Baked Beans

Baked beans are a classic at BBQs. This recipe for baked beans uses black beans, great northern beans, and red kidney beans!

➡️ Find the recipe here.

Potato Salad with Black Beans

This recipe puts a spin on potato salad by adding black beans - which boost color and nutrition! The creamy, herby, slightly tangy buttermilk dressing works perfectly.

➡️ Find the recipe here.

Black Bean-Beef Burger

In addition to finding the full recipe, you can also watch a video of Chef Toni Sakaguchi at The Culinary Institute of America making these delicious Green Chile Smash Black Bean Beef Burgers.

➡️ Find the recipe here.

In their May 2025 newsletter, the Bean Institute highlighted bean salads. As they shared in their feature article, "Beans add heartiness, flavor, and a boost of plant-based protein and fiber to your meals, making them ideal for everything from weekday lunches to weekend picnics." They share several recipe links for mouthwatering seasonal bean salads, as well as tips to make your own tasty, satisfying bean salad.

➡️ Read their full post - Shake Up Your Salad Routine with Beans - here.

Lately, GLP-1 drugs (which are used for weight loss) have been a hot topic. Accordingly, USA Pulses sponsored a webinar on this timely topic, titled Pulses Pave the Way to Weight Management and Better Metabolic Health. The webinar was introduced and facilitated by Dr. Milton Stokes and featured speakers John Merendino, MD and Deepa Deshmukh, MPH, RDN.

The webinar addressed how these drugs work to promote weight loss, and how beans and other pulses can play an important role in the diet of those who are on GLP-1 medication. At the same time, the webinar made it evident that even if someone is not using GLP-1 drugs, beans and other pulses (e.g., chickpeas, lentils) are an excellent choice for anyone looking to maintain a nutrient-dense, delicious diet that can support healthy weight management.

Below, you will find a summary of some of the key takeaways from the webinar. We will share the link to the webinar recording after it is live. Look for that in next month's newsletter.

Public interest in GLP-1 drugs has surged, and a 2024 poll published in JAMA reported that approximately 12% of US adults have taken a GLP-1 drug. Essentially, GLP-1 agonists are weight loss drugs with a mechanism of action that mimics naturally-occurring hormones in the body, including glucagon-like peptide type 1 (GLP-1), to promote satiety, decrease appetite, and slow intestinal motility. Numerous health benefits have been associated with these drugs, although they are not without side effects. Potential side effects can include acid reflux, constipation, and loss of muscle mass. In addition, the price can be quite high - full retail value can be up to $1,000 per month, or sometimes more.

To promote optimum health, it is beneficial to incorporate lifestyle changes, paramount among those being a healthful diet. Especially with the reduced appetite and lower caloric intake seen in those taking these drugs, it is important to prioritize nutrient-dense foods to still achieve nutritional adequacy. This makes pulses - which are rich in many nutrients and can be used in versatile ways - an ideal food choice!

Table from webinar slides

Nutritional Benefits

Presenter Deepa Deshmukh detailed some of the many nutritional benefits of pulses, explaining how they can help bridge nutritional gaps to provide protein, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, and other nutrients. Pulses are naturally low in fat and are cholesterol-free.

• Protein. A half-cup serving of pulses can provide up to 9 grams of protein, which is important to help maintain muscle mass. One of the recommendations to manage gastrointestinal side effects while taking GLP-1 drugs is to include low-fat sources of protein, such as pulses. 
• Fiber. Pulses are one of the richest natural sources of dietary fiber, which is associated with a multitude of health benefits, such as gut health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Moreover, one of the common side effects of GLP-1 drugs is constipation, and fiber can help prevent this. A half-cup serving of cooked pulses provides about 6 to 8 grams of dietary fiber, or around 20% of the daily recommendation (the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 14 grams fiber per 1,000 calories consumed). Importantly, Deshmukh explained how pulses contain a variety of fiber - such as resistant starch, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, and more - so that our bodies can benefit from different types of fiber.

The vibrant colors of pulses also show that they are rich in polyphenols and antioxidants!

Some express concerns over digestive changes that may result from adding pulses. The reality is that any fiber-containing food may contribute to gas. However, research demonstrates that many people who eat pulses do not experience gas, and that a majority of those who do report increased flatulence say that it went away within the second or third week of having pulses. It takes time for the body to adjust to the increase in fiber. Another tip is to soak pulses and cook them well. Over 90% of Americans do not meet the fiber recommendation, so finding ways to get adequate fiber is critical for overall health.

Towards the end of the webinar, the versatility of pulses was spotlighted. There are numerous ways to prepare pulses, such as blending them to have a creamy texture, eating them chunky in stews, or roasting them to attain a crispy texture. Pulses are used in dishes around the world, so we can draw upon global cuisines for inspiration. Pulses can be enjoyed in wraps, flatbreads, burgers, soups, stews, salads, dips, spreads, sauces, desserts, and more! There are endless possibilities, from savory to sweet.

Check out the Bean Institute's recipe page for ideas on versatile and delicious ways to use beans.

Combest Sell & Associates and MDBC Leadership meeting with Representative Julie Fedorchak.

L-to-R: Jeff Harrisson, Sheldon Bancroft, David Scholand, Rep. Julie Fedorchak, John Berthold, Dylan Karley, Nate VanWechel, Tom Sell

Discussing critical issues related to dry beans

Rear, L-to-R: Kole Nichols (White House Council of Economic Advisiors), Jason Becker (White House Office of Public Liaison), David Scholand, Sheldon Bancroft, Nate VanWechel, Tom Sell Front, L-to-R: Dylan Karley, John Berthold

Meeting with Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach

L-to-R: Dylan Karley, Sheldon Bancroft, Nate VanWechel, Michelle Fischback, John Berthold, David Scholand

MDBC in Washington D.C.

L-to-R: Dylan Karley, John Berthold, David Scholand, Shedon Bancroft, Nate Vanechel

As you can see, bean soup is considered a Senate tradition!

Dropping off beans

Judging bean submissions

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

• ➡️ June 5, 2025: Wyndmere, North Dakota, grower and North Dakota Dry Bean Council Vice Chair Rudy Dotzenrod provides an update on the dry bean crop.

• ➡️ May 31, 2025: BASF Technical Marketing Manager Albre Brown discusses white mold and how to manage it this year.

• ➡️ May 22, 2025: NDSU Plant Pathologist Sam Markell talks about what growers should be looking for early in the season, focusing the discussion on root rot.

• ➡️ May 18, 2025: The Trump Administration has named the new Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Directors. Northarvest Bean Growers Association Executive Director Mitch Coulter welcomes these appointments.