08/22/08 Yellow bean seed exports

A small test of heritage and experimental Peruano yellow dry beans could open the door to an export market for Idaho dry bean seed growers. U of I Foundation Seed Manager Kathy Stewart Williams says Peruano seed was planted on leased ground by the University of Idaho's Kimberly Research Center. There are seven Peruano varieties and one pinto thrown in for comparison. STEWART-WILLIAMS "They look great. Of course I have some of the varieties that we worked with last year and I've seen a little mosaic where I would expect to see it. I've not seen any in the rest of the line. The pod set is great. I think its going to be a really nice time to kind of showcase what we're doing." Stewart Williams has been working with the Mexican dry bean industry in Sinaloa where they need better Peruano seed. Mexican representatives will be in Idaho next Tuesday to see the fields. There's very little Peruano grown in the US at present. STEWART-WILLIAMS "The breeding effort in the US hasn't been as focused on that particular market class but its definitely something that's well adapted to this region as far as production." There's more to this story and that's coming Monday. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott