10/25/06 Idaho bean seed trials in Mexico

Building on past trade missions and tests in Sinaloa last year the Idaho Bean Commission conducted more tests on seed grown in two Mexican states. Foundation Seed Manager for the University of Idaho Kathy Stewart-Williams recently traveled to Chihuahua to see two pinto bean fields which have had plenty of rain this year. STEWART WILLIAMS "One is a fairly small test. It's a really heavy, dense soil and that field has taken so much abuse. Then the other field is not too far away but it's a sandier, rocky soil. It's a bigger test and so I think we're going to get some really good numbers back just on variety response to different climates within the same area." In Zacatecas, Stewart Williams and Brent Zeyer of the Bean Commission saw black bean seed from Idaho planted in fields at nearly eight thousand feet elevation. STEWART WILLIAMS "It's been a long time since I've seen such consistent root growth and development. I mean the soil is just fantastic for healthy root growth systems." The Idaho Bean Commission is looking for funding so it can do more tests in other Mexican growing regions next year. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott