By KEVIN WALKER

Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has issued its 14th dry bean stocks report for the state’s industry.

These reports are sent at the request of the Michigan Bean Commission and Michigan Bean Shippers Assoc. Beginning in August 2006, MDARD’s producer security services section assumed the responsibility for issuing these annual reports, so data for intervening years are not available. August 31 is the reference date for tabulation and publishing from here on, MDARD says.

Dry bean stocks are not included in the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service system of grain stocks reports – thus, the need for this state-level effort. Dry bean stocks data included in this report were tabulated from administrative reports supplied monthly by grain elevator operators to MDARD.

The report contains no information for the years 2002-05, but does have information from 1996-2001, 2006 and 2011, although the reference dates for some of those years are different. Also, more than one report per year may have been published in the early years, said Jeff Haarer, producer security services division manager at MDARD.

Commercial elevators in Michigan held 1,857 cwt. of dry beans in storage as of August 31, the report stated. The quantity on hand included 682 cwt. of navy beans, 747 cwt. of black beans, 353 cwt. of small red beans and 75 cwt. of all other classes.

Black beans were included in the “all other” category prior to 2006 and small red beans were included in that category prior to 2009. Stocks account for all beans in commercial off-farm storage and include a small portion of non-Michigan-grown products.

An estimate of the quantity of dry beans held on farms is not included in the report.

Over the years dry bean production in Michigan has changed, and that’s reflected in the report. About 20 years ago canners, a major buyer of beans, began promoting dry bean production in North Dakota as a way to hedge weather risk. As a result, over time dry bean production in Michigan went down substantially.

Dry bean growers in Michigan had nearly 5,000 cwt. of dry beans in storage as of Dec. 31, 1996, while this year it was under 2,000 – and it’s been much lower for years. Recently, though, production in Michigan has increased somewhat.

To see the entire dry bean stocks report, go to www.michigan.gov/mdard

Those with any questions should contact Haarer at 517-284-5642 or haarerj@michigan.gov