Lincoln Wolfe planted 2,850 acres to pulse crops in 2006 on the 6,500 acres of black sandy loam that he owns and rents near Macgregor, Man. He says beans are a management intensive crop.
“Timely seeding, spraying and harvesting are crucial,” said Wolfe, who has been president of the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association for two years.
The crop has to be handled carefully to avoid breakage, so conveyors are used instead of augers. The beans must also be carefully segregated because buyers have zero tolerance for different types of beans mixed together.
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Seeding is done between May 15 and June 1, with harvest usually in the last week of August.
Wolfe said this was a good year for beans even though it brought less rain than average. Last year was a total washout, literally.
After the 2005 crop was seeded, heavy rain drowned the entire crop.
This summer, a hot July affected yield potential but the crop averaged 2,000 pounds per acre.
“We started out with exceptional yield potential, but the heat made some of the beans lose leaves and drop pods. But because this year the subsoil was fully charged, we ended up with an average to above average crop.”
Wolfe started growing beans 10 years ago as part of a diversification strategy.
“Adding a pulse crop to a rotation helps,” he said. The legume straw left after combining is plowed back in, adding nutrients to the soil.
In recent years he has added soybeans to the mix of dark and light red kidney beans, cranberry, small red and
pinto beans.
In an average year, the soybeans do well in southern Manitoba, but the record cold summer of 2004 hit the crop hard and delayed maturity.
Although Wolfe already owned some row-crop equipment, including a seeder, other specialized machinery was needed to incorporate beans into his operation.
An undercutter, windrowers, conveyors and a pull-type specialty combine were required. The edible-bean combine uses spike-toothed cylinders to break open the pods, leaving the hopper full of shiny beans.
A variety of marketing channels are open to Wolfe, ranging from processors and brokers to canners and packagers.
“We are always in contact with buyers from all over. I probably have 30 to 40 contacts,” he said.
Apart from weeds, common headaches for bean farmers include leafhoppers, white mould and rust.
Wolfe said the pulse growers’ association is working hard to promote more Canadian consumption of beans, which are nutritious, help to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
“I enjoy beans. With the right recipe they’re good, and they’re healthy.”
One advantage of being a pulse grower is that if he gets a craving for beans, all he has to do is scoop some out of his bins and start cooking.
