CNS Canada — A lack of moisture continues to plague Manitoba’s edible beans, but according to one specialist, the crop should still enjoy another strong year.
“Most areas have gotten just enough rain to keep things in good condition,” said provincial pulse specialist Dennis Lange.
The Winkler region, long considered a major planting area for edible beans, got over an inch of rain the other day, he noted.
“That should help things along,” he said, adding now was a critical time for the crop.
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Many fields have finished the podding stage and are nearly done flowering. As with many other crops, an early harvest is expected.
“I talked to one grower this morning and we are going to see some beans done in August,” he noted, adding edible beans traditionally are harvested in the first and second week of September.
However, according to Lange, rain is needed this year more than last, due to a lack of moisture reserves.
“This year we didn’t go into the year with the same amount of moisture as we were in the spring of 2017,” he explained. “So the timely rains now are more critical.”
Quality of this year’s crop looks good, he added, but cautioned it’s still too early to know what yields will be like.
Fortunately, this year has been relatively free of pests. Some sightings of sclerotinia white mold and bacterial blight have been reported, but so far there haven’t been any serious outbreaks.
According to Prairie Ag Hotwire, prices for edible beans are hanging fairly steady. Pintos fell half a cent during the past month to between 29 to 31 cents/lb. Blacks are steady, but locked in a much wider range of 29 to 37 cents/lb. Navy beans remain in a range of 29 to 31 cents/lb.
— Dave Sims writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Glacier FarmMedia company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.
