10-26 FB Bean Grant

 The Mexico state of Chihuahua and Idaho share a common interest—pinto beans. Idaho produces the finest quality pinto bean seed in the world, and Chihuahua leads Mexico in production of edible pinto beans. The bean industry in both states will benefit from a $60,000 Specialty Crop Block Grant awarded to the Idaho Bean Commission in August. Here’s the Idaho Bean Commission’s Diana Caldwell: The $60,000 grant will allow growers in Idaho to grow more seed and the dealers in Idaho to contract more seed specifically suited to Mexico’s environmental conditions, both irrigated and not irrigated. Mexico has diseases that, fortunately, we don’t have here in Idaho.”

Get ready for some numbers. In 2010, Chihuahua planted 307,000 acres of pinto beans. In 2009 Idaho planted  9,305 acres of pinto seed. and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture issued Phytosanitary Certificates for 711,000 pounds of dry bean seed destined for Mexico. This is an increase from 446 thousand pounds shipped to Mexico in 2004.