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Why does USDA's Food
Guide Pyramid also include dry beans in the meat group?
What are dry beans?
How many classes (types) of dry beans are produced
in the United States?
What States produce dry beans?
What is the scope of the U.S. dry bean
industry?
Are exports important and where does the United States
export dry beans?
Are imports of dry beans a major part of the U.S. market?
Are dry beans covered by Federal farm programs?
What does it cost to grow an acre of dry
beans?
What is U.S. per capita disappearance (use) of dry
beans?
Who eats dry beans in the United States?
Are dry beans a good rotational crop?
Where can I find information about organic dry beans?
Q. Why does USDA's Food Guide Pyramid also
include dry beans in the meat group?
A. Dry beans are versatile, high-protein vegetables. As such, they
provide the nutrition of vegetables but can also serve as low-fat,
low-cost meat substitutes. USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans
include dry beans in both the vegetable and meat groups.
Q. What are dry beans?
A. Dry beans are legumes grown to the mature stage, allowed to
dry, and harvested for the seed within the pods. Most U.S. dry beans
are produced for human consumption. Dry beans are an important staple
crop and are also used as animal feed in other parts of the world.
Q. How many classes (types) of dry beans are
produced in the United States?
A. There are many classes of dry beans produced in the United States,
but only the top 14 are specifically enumerated by USDA. These are
pinto, navy (pea) bean, Great Northern, black, small white, large
lima, baby lima, light red kidney, dark red kidney, pink, small
red, cranberry, blackeye, and chickpea (large and small). Several
others such as adzuki, yellow eye, white kidney (cannellini), white
marrow, and anasazi are generally covered in a miscellaneous category.
Q. What States produce dry beans?
A. Dry beans are grown in at least 40 States with commercial-scale
production in 18 States. North Dakota is the leading producer of
dry beans with one-third of national output. Michigan, Nebraska,
Minnesota, and Idaho round out the top five states.
Q. What is the scope of the U.S. dry bean
industry?
A. According to the 2002 Census of Agriculture, there were 8,647
farms in the United States producing dry edible beans on 1.7 million
acres. The farm value of the dry bean crop averaged $462 million
during 2002-04, while consumer sales of dry beans in all forms were
estimated to be $1.8 billion.
Q. Are exports important and where does the
United States export dry beans?
A. As one of the world's leading dry bean exporters, foreign markets
are important to the U.S. dry bean industry. On average, the industry
relies on commercial sales and Federal food aid donations in world
markets to dispense about 19 percent of supplies. A substantial
volume of U.S. dry bean exports is concentrated among relatively
few countries. Top U.S. markets include Mexico, the United Kingdom,
Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Canada.
Q. Are imports of dry beans a major part of
the U.S. market?
A. Until recently, imports consistently accounted for 4-6 percent
of domestic consumption. Although on the rise this decade, imports
are not generally a threat to the U.S. dry bean industry with mostly
small volumes spread out over several classes. Most import volume
appears to be border trade with Canada and Mexico, while other imports
are of beans not heavily grown in the United States (e.g., mung
beans). Import penetration varies widely by year and bean class,
but among major U.S. classes, penetration has been strongest in
black beans and garbanzo beans.
Q. Are dry beans covered by Federal farm programs?
A. Dry beans have not been included in Federal price support programs
since the late 1960s. Although not covered directly by Federal price
and income support programs, dry bean markets are influenced by
a variety of noncrop specific (generic) programs. These include
various Federal production assistance programs, such as Federal
crop insurance, disaster
assistance, and Western irrigation
subsidies. Also, the dry bean industry benefits from export
programs like the Market
Access Program and various food donation programs such as the
Food
for Peace Program (P.L. 480).
Q. What does it cost to grow an acre of dry
beans?
A. USDA does not estimate production cost budgets for dry beans.
Budgets are available from University websites such as the North
Dakota State University and the University
of Idaho (see related
links for additional university budgets).
Q. What is U.S. per capita disappearance (use)
of dry beans?
A. Per capita use of all dry beans averaged 6.4 pounds during 2002-04,
with pinto beans (3 pounds per person) accounting for 47 percent
of the total. Navy (pea) beans (12 percent), black beans (7 percent),
Great Northern beans (6 percent), and light red kidneys (5 percent)
round out the top five classes.
Q. Who eats dry beans in the United States?
A. On any given day, nearly 14 percent of the U.S. population consumes
dry edible beans. About three-fourths of all dry beans are purchased at
retail for home consumption. Dry beans enjoy the greatest popularity in
western and southern parts of the country. For more information, see Factors
Affecting Dry Bean Consumption in the United States.
Q. Are dry beans a good rotational
crop?
A. Dry edible beans offer an added benefit to producers exploring
more sustainable farming practices. Grown often in rotation with
other crops such as corn, wheat, and barley, dry beans are a legume
that can help enrich nitrogen-poor soil. By hosting bacteria in
its root nodules, the bean plant can fix nitrogen from the air and
impart it to the soil when the plant dies.
Q. Where can I find information about organic
dry beans?
A. Organic dry bean production is a small part of the U.So. dry
bean industry. Visit the ERS Organic
Agriculture briefing room for more general information
about organics. The Agricultural
Marketing Service, National Organic Program and Foreign
Agricultural Service organic products web pages also have information
on organic foods.
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