7-26 FB Legumes in Idaho

 Legumes or as the French say Legumes are of interest to Idaho farmers because they produce revenue and lots of it. What’s the latest in legumes? I’m David Sparks and I’ll tell you in a minute. You’ve probably heard that legumes are good for you, but what are legumes? There are two types: mature and immature. Mature legumes are the dried seeds found inside pods that hang from the stems of certain plants. They are excellent sources of fibre rich in protein, and low in fat…Green beans and peas, commonly referred to as vegetables, are actually immature legumes because they are harvested before maturing on the plant. Idaho farmers planted about 100,000 acres of dry beans last year, and acreages should be about the same in 2010. Production is forecast to be 1.78 million hundredweight, but with inclement weather and a late start its hard to project year end totals. Pinto beans will account for 35,000 acres in Idaho this year, followed by chickpeas or garbanzo beans, with 33,500 acres. Bean grower Rick Burne pretty much tells things like they are: “We’re a little bit behind. If it stays warm we should be alright. We need a later fall. We’re probably a good two weeks behind because we were late planting because of the wet weather. If you do get a late fall things will be OK? Yeah, we don’t have any problems developing so far