Dry bean production occurs in fourteen states and includes fifteen different varieties of beans. The United States is the world leader in dry bean production today. While a large percentage of beans grown in the United States are exported, Americans are the chief consumers of their own beans.

Planting
Michigan producers grow twelve classes of beans. The beans are planted in May and June. Cultivation keeps the bean fields weed-free, which reduces the need for chemical weed control. Cultivation also helps prepare the seedbed for efficient "pulling" of the bean plant at harvest. 12- 14 weeks after planting, bean plants reach their full height. Small flowers on the bean plant blossom once the plant is mature and pods form during August. The beans contained in the pods ripen during the summer. Growers constantly monitor their fields during the growing season for insect or disease problems, and to make sure that the crop is progressing as it should.

Harvest
Beans are ready for harvest in late August to October. To maximize harvest efficiency, most Michigan beans are "pulled and windrowed." This also ensures the quality of the end product. Knives on pullers run just below the soil surface and lift the entire bean plant from the soil. The plants are then gently placed in rows. In this way, the beans are left in pods still attached to the plant. After pulling and windrowing, the plant is usually left in the field for several hours to dry in the sun.

Later a gathering mechanism lifts the bean plants into a combine where they are thrashed. This opens the pods so the beans can be separated from the rest of the plant. They are then elevated into a holding bin. Special bean combines that have no augers are used to protect bean quality. To further minimize the possibility of damage, the beans are carefully transferred from the holding bins to trucks. They are then transported to the elevator for processing.

Processing
Samples are taken from each load of beans, delivered to the elevator to check for quality, color, and foreign material. There, beans are also weighed and tested for moisture content. A series of steps follows: clipper mills clean the beans by separating pods and other foreign material through a series of screens. Gravity separators use the density and weight of the product to guide inferior beans off one side of the separator, while the highest quality beans slide to the other side. Electric eye scanning devices ensure that foreign material is removed. Magnets and metal detectors are strategically located throughout the processing system to remove any metal that may have inadvertently become mixed with the beans. Finally beans are also run through a machine to remove stones. Beans are packed into 100 pound poly or paper bags, bulk totes of one and two tons, or bulk railcars for shipment to markets around the world. Michigan growers and processors employ the best methods and technology to ensure the consistent production of highest quality beans.

© 2006 Michigan Bean Commission