Edible bean boom

Dave Manterola's yellow beans were only a few inches tall and months away from harvest, but the Pasco, Wash., pulse crop and hay farmer couldn't help but hope a good 2024 bean crop would make up for mostly breakeven alfalfa and timothy prices.

"I don't like to bank on a 40-bag crop [40 100-pound bags or 4,000 pounds per acre], which is like hitting a home run, but we've had them," Manterola says, noting he would be happy with a base hit. "A 30-bag crop [3,000 pounds per acre] is a more realistic yield, which you can still make a little money on."

Citing generally poor market conditions in the Columbia Basin this year, Manterola adds, "Edible beans are one of the few crops we could earn a profit on this year - if we have a good crop."

Hay is Manterola's primary crop, but edible beans will pay the bills this year. If beans average 3,000 pounds per acre, he estimates a profit of $150 per acre.

Home to the Columbia and Snake rivers, the Columbia Basin covers 285,000 square miles of arid land in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Farmers there produce wheat, hay, vegetables, fruit and pulse crops - much of it is irrigated.

A farmer cuts cranberry beans into windrows to dry near Pasco, Wash., in late September. Once harvested, the beans will be processed at the CHS plant in nearby Othello.

Pulse crop importance

Pulse crops are an economic and agronomic lifeline for many farmers in the PNW. Edible beans, lentils and other pulses are important rotational crops for forage, small-grain and row-crop operations. Pulses thrive in regions with shorter growing seasons and limited rainfall, according to the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council. The council and farmers say pulses help improve soil health, fix nitrogen in the soil and help break up disease and insect cycles.

To provide greater access to domestic and international markets for pulse crop producers in its western trade territory, CHS upgraded and expanded its dry edible bean processing plant in Othello, Wash., in 2021. Updates included a new bean cleaning line and a fully automated packaging line that tripled production capacity. Another 50,000 square feet of warehouse space was also added.

In 2024, CHS purchased the Ardent Mills pulse crop warehouse and rail receiving facility next to the Othello processing plant, opening the door to more lentils and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) from Montana and Idaho.

Improved opportunities in the edible bean market

Manterola, a farmer-owner of CHS SunBasin Growers based in Quincy, Wash., says improved market opportunities allowed him to double his contracted acres of yellow and cranberry beans with CHS to 1,000 acres. "Every extra acre of edible beans local farmers can grow benefits us and the community."

Lee Pawlowski feels the same way about lentils, although he admits to having a love-hate relationship with the crop.

Lentils, along with yellow peas and chickpeas, are rotational pulse crops on Pawlowski's 9,000-acre farm near Circle, Mont. His family also raises wheat, corn, flax and occasionally mustard.

"My favorite saying about lentils is that the only time I like them is at planting and when I get paid. Everything in between can be heartbreak," Pawlowski says, noting too much water invites disease and strong winds can make harvest difficult due to lodging.

Finding a reliable market for pulse crops wasn't easy in the region until CHS Farmers Elevator, based in Circle, became a more active buyer several years ago at the request of Pawlowski and other farmer-owners. Expansion of the Othello processing facility made that possible.

The Pawlowskis harvested 1,800 acres of lentils in 2024, which averaged 30 bushels per acre - about 5 bushels per acre better than normal. With input costs at about $100 per acre and the selling price of about $20 per bushel, Pawlowski says the reward is worth the risk.

"Lentils can be lucrative and help next year's crop," he adds. "They're still a pain, but even 20-bushel per-acre crops have paid a lot of bills over the years."

Four Midwest states lead the nation in edible bean production. Washington, located in the Pacific Northwest, rounds out the top five.

Adding value

The Othello plant, managed by CHS SunBasin Growers, processes and sells 10 varieties of dry edible beans, lentils, green and yellow peas, and chickpeas. The crops are primarily sold for human consumption and pet food.

Increasing demand for affordable protein, plant-based foods and ethnic cuisine, combined with expanded processing capacity, has led to explosive sales growth for CHS.

The plant handled 68 million pounds of edible beans in fiscal year 2024, more than double the volume of the year before. Lentil processing volume has soared from nearly 17,000 bushels in fiscal year 2019 to an estimated 500,000 bushels in fiscal year 2024.

Expanding supply chain capabilities and providing end-to-end market access adds value to pulse crops for cooperative owners, says Chris Guess, senior director of operations for CHS SunBasin Growers.

"Pulse crop processing is a highly successful business for CHS," Guess says. "We're offering farmer-owners competitive bids for crops and they're getting patronage based on performance.

"In nine out of the past 10 years, we've returned between $3 and $9 per hundredweight to our farmer-owners in patronage," he continues. "At $3 per hundredweight and 3,000 pounds per acre for edible beans, that's $90 per acre."

Manterola adds, "Like any commodity, sometimes edible beans are profitable and sometimes they're not, but the patronage is a great deal."

Yellow beans are a popular variety processed at the CHS dry edible bean processing facility in Othello, Wash.

Strong demand

The Othello plant typically works with 50 to 80 growers annually, contracting a total of 15,000 to 22,000 acres of pulse crops.

Edible beans are generally irrigated in the Columbia Basin, Guess says, which boosts yields. Timely moisture also improves bean color, size and quality, making them more desirable to customers, he adds.

Pinto, cranberry and Mayocoba (yellow) beans account for 70% of the plant's processing volume. The plant sorts, cleans, grades and packages pulse crops in 2,500-pound totes or 25-, 50- or 100-pound bags. Products are mostly shipped in containers to international buyers, although some yellow peas and lentils are loaded into bulk vessels.

The Othello facility sells 60% of its edible beans domestically, including to some of the largest Hispanic-owned food companies. The rest are sold to international markets, primarily in Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

Almost all CHS-sourced lentils are exported. Lentils are a staple protein and fiber source in India, Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Yellow peas are marketed to buyers in China, pet food manufacturers and government food programs. Chickpeas are primarily sold domestically and internationally for human consumption.

"CHS is exploring opportunities to increase pulse crop production," says Yuxi Weng, a senior trader with CHS. "The big push is coming from farmers who want to grow pulse crops."

Guess expects demand to remain strong. "Pulse proteins are taking off in popularity," he says. "Many U.S. consumers are looking for plant-based proteins to supplement their diets. In other countries, edible beans have always been a staple food."

Demand for lentils, yellow peas and chickpeas has also been strong, says Mickie Dent, specialty grains merchandiser with CHS. "Many buyers of edible beans are also buyers of lentils and peas. Being a supplier of a variety of pulse crops is an advantage for market access."

Learn more about dry edible beans at CHS.

Check out the full Fall 2024 C magazine with this article and more.

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