It wasn’t ideal, but the AdFarm pinto beans were harvested by an alternative method on Thursday, November 5.Cooperating Farmer Fred Lukens reported that he started harvesting the AdFarm fields at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon and finished at 11 p.m. with his 1688 self-propelled combine and 30-foot flex head. The total production for the AdFarm fields was 101,041 lbs. of grade #1 pinto beans. This is an average yield of 1,443 lbs. per acre.

Harvesting the pinto beans with the flex head is not the normal harvest procedure on the Lukens farm. He explains, “We usually run a Pickett one step ahead of the combine to cut, lift and windrow the pinto beans. Yet with our October snow and rain and the prediction for more rain on November 8 and 9, we didn’t want to risk losing the entire crop snow. I’m guessing that we left close to 500 lbs. of pinto beans per acre on the field by flexing the crop compared to our traditional harvest method. As always, Mother Nature holds the cards. Farmers try to play the hand we’re dealt as best we can.”

The average moisture of the AdFarm pinto beans was 18.2%. This is higher than the desired 16% moisture pinto bean processors require for long term storage. The higher moisture resulted in a 2.5% moisture dockage reduction. The beans earned #1 grade based on the low deductions for splits, unacceptable beans (pick) and foreign material. The AdFarm beans graded 1% splits, .15% pick and .2% foreign material for a total of 1.35% dockage deduction. This is an above average dockage deduction.

Mike Hallingstad of Sharon Bean said, “These might be the nicest looking beans we’ve seen all fall. Total dockage less than 2% is exceptional.” Dockage less than 5% makes the #1 bean status.Beans rated below number one are paid at a discounted rate.

Hallingstad expects pinto bean prices to continue moving higher. He says, “On November 1, we had about 50% of the pinto beans in North Dakota harvested. Normal is 95%. We had a short crop going into this year. With our weather this fall, I expect that 15-20% of this year’s crop will be abandoned and not harvested. Our pinto bean price now is 30¢ per pound. I expect 35¢ per pound soon.”

With the AdFarm yield, and the 25¢ per pound contract on the first 800 pounds of production, Lukens projects a 30¢ per pound on the remaining production will result in a break-even price. Stay tuned…

Follow the crop on Griggsdakota.blogspot.com

The AdFarm North Dakota Farm marketing committee met via conference call this morning to discuss and prepare their marketing plan for the 2009 AdFarm Pinto bean crop. Before agreeing on the plan, the group heard the following from Cooperating Farmer Fred Lukens:

1. First fields of pinto beans on Lukens farm have been harvested. AdFarm field will be harvested next.
2. Average yield on first fields is 1,800 lbs. per acre.
3. Centrol crop scout predicts that AdFarm field will exceed 2,000 lbs. per acre.
4. Pinto bean market appears to be in “harvest low” with prices at 24¢ and 25¢ per pound at Sharon Bean and Central Valley Bean respectively.
5. U.S. pinto bean planted acres are down 5% this year, carryover crop is small, and an “average” U.S. crop is predicted.
6. Mexico’s pinto bean crop has been hurt by drought and will be short.
7. Experienced pinto bean market watchers believe that market has upside potential to 30¢ or higher after January 1, 2010.
8. 800 lbs. per acre of the AdFarm crop was contracted @ 25¢ back in February 2009 with Sharon Bean.
9. Central Valley Bean is paying freight from Aneta to Buxton, ND (approximately 60 miles). Sharon Bean (10 miles from Aneta) is not paying freight.
10. Both Central Valley Bean and Sharon Bean offer free storage of pinto beans as follows: Central Valley Bean to February 1 and Sharon Bean to March 1.
11. At a yield of 1,800 lbs. and a price of 25¢ per pound, the AdFarm crop should earn a profit of approximately $50 per acre. (The 2008 AdFarm crop was a record $74 per acre net profit.)

A good time to roll the dice

The group agreed on the following plan:

1. Deliver the 800-pound per acre-contracted portion of the crop to Sharon Bean.
2. Deliver the balance of the crop to a combination of Sharon Bean and Central Valley Bean as logistics dictate.
3. Watch the post-harvest price trends with the intention of selling the balance of AdFarm pinto beans early 2010 for a price at 30¢ or higher.
4. Conduct a follow-up marketing committee call at an appropriate time.

As Marketing committee member Jason Laqua summarized the plan: “Seems like a good time to roll the dice.”

Rain and cold weather have delayed the AdFarm pinto bean harvest. With current weather forecasts, Lukens expects harvest to resume the week of October 19.

Follow the crop at: GriggsDakota.blogspot.com