In 1960, the number of farmers raising dry beans in Minnesota and North Dakota could be counted in single digits. The 2025 USDA Dry Bean Planting report showed 320,000 acres (22% of US production) in Minnesota and 630,000 acres (43% of US production) in North Dakota, thus placing Minnesota in 2nd place in US production ahead of Michigan and several other states. In this episode Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve chat with Minnesota Independent Crop Consultant, Darrol Ike and Mitch Coulter, Northarvest Bean Growers Association Executive Director, about the production and market expansion of dry beans in Minnesota.

Farmers in the Northarvest (Minnesota and North Dakota) region grow a wide range of dry bean types including pinto, navy, black, dark red kidney, light red kidney, white kidney, Great Northern, pink, small red, and cranberry beans. Darrol reviewes some best management practices of successful dry bean growers concerning planting dates, populations, weed control and crop inputs. Mitch Coulter discusses dry bean markets, research, uses, exports and the increasing acreage for specific varieties of dry beans. Mitch also comments on legislative efforts to improve the usage and production of dry beans. Additional dry bean resources can be found at the Northarvest Bean Institute Website- https://beaninstitute.com/ and Northarvest Bean Grower Magazine which includes the annual Research Publication: https://northarvestbean.org/beangrower-magazine/

In this week’s CropCast, Dr. Jochum Wiersma, University of Minnesota extension small grain specialist is the guest for the podcast hosted by Dave Nicolai, Extension Crops Educator and Dr. Seth Nave, Extension Soybean Specialist. Jochum discusses the increases in both interest and acreage in winter grains in Minnesota such as Winter Wheat, Winter Barley and Winter Rye along with the renewed interest in growing other summer small grain crops such as Oats. Jochum provides a history of small grain production in Minnesota and an outlook for the future of small grain crops, he also reviews how the selection of small grain crops is influenced by changes in crop rotation, pest reduction and economics. For example, he discusses how rotations can control or reduce disease, insect and weed pressure. Thus, crop rotations can aid in the diversity in crops grown which can spread out fieldwork and harvest time and reduce risk. Jochum talks about the yield and genetic potential of growing new and current oat varieties for the conventional and organic markets along with the challenges of disease management in oats such as crown rust. Finally, Jochum discusses the recommended planting practices for the winter grains establishment concerning timing, tillage and proper placement within a recommended crop rotation. For more detailed crop selections and management recommendations please consult the University of Minnesota Extension field crop web site Small Grains.

In this week’s CropCast, Seth Naeve and David Nicolai welcomed Dr. Tom Peters and Dr. Debalin Sarangi to discuss “Getting the most out of pre-emergence herbicides” Dr. Tom Peters is a sugarbeet agronomist specializing in sugarbeet weed control at North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota, Dr. Debalin Sarangi is a University of Minnesota Extension Weed Scientist for corn and soybeans. Both weed scientists reviewed the highlights of the recently published University of Minnesota Crop News article Getting the most out of pre-emergence herbicides: It starts with your soil in terms of suggestions to aid early season weed control. Their review included a discussion of factors including soil type, moisture conditions, and soil organic matter content which can affect herbicide performance. They emphasized that timing plays a big role in efficacy when it comes to pre-emergence herbicides. These products can be applied before planting, at planting, or right after planting—as long as it’s before the crop emerges. They detailed the effects of soil pH and CEC, herbicide mobility, soil moisture, rainfall and herbicide degradation via specific herbicide types and modes of action which are also listed in the recent crop news article.

These two gentlemen reviewed the crop growing season and early harvest results for sugarbeets, corn and soybeans in western Minnesota. They discussed early planting delays, limited seasonal rainfall, weed concerns and why some early yield results were better than expected. Factors such as genetic improvement and cultural management contributed significantly to the improvement for some area yields. Tom and Zach also provided advice on 2024 selection criteria when ordering corn and soybean (SCN tolerance) inputs as well as pest management & crop rotation of sugarbeets, corn and soybeans.

Please join us for another lively Minnesota CropCast.