Fifteen-inch cranberry beans are unheard of in southwestern Ontario, but things are done differently in Grey County.
Wayne Metzger, co-owner of Highland Custom Farming (HCF), fielded questions on the Etna variety cranberry bean he planted on May 27 during the Grey County Soil and Crop Improvement Association’s July 16 crop walk and elevator tour.
Why it matters: Edible beans come with a higher payment, but managing them for consistent yield can be challenging.
Metzger said during their first season the cranberry beans were air-seeded at seven-and-a-half-inch rows because the 30-inch row corn planter speed tubes didn’t work, and it still produced a good harvest.
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“The 15-inch helps hold each other a little bit,” he explained. “But then you could have white mould problems, but we’ve never had white mould problems with crans.”
Etna, registered in 2006, appeals to growers because it’s durable and fast-maturing. Meghan Moran, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) canola and dry edible bean specialist, said, according to southwestern performance trials, it takes approximately 82 days for 95 per cent seed colour change.
The variable seed rate is based on 30-inch rows, but there are no recommendations for 15-inch rows. Moran said Metzger’s 60,000 to 80,000 range seemed to be working well.
“This isn’t something we normally see,” she shared. “It’s the first time I’ve been in a cran field on 15-in rows.”
Southwestern Ontario kidney bean studies on 15-inch and 30-inch rows show anything above 50,000 seeds/acre on 15-inch would, in theory, yield the same, Moran said. Additionally, premium beans, like cranberries, met potential and provided more separation in better-yielding parts of the field at a low population than white beans. She is concerned that low population in northern regions and heavy branching could challenge maturity potential.
Metzger said the six-inch pods lay on the ground, making summertime destoning and levelling a field critical. Fall manure application and cultivating into a stale seedbed also contribute to improved stands.
Getting cranberry beans started takes management
Bruce Cruickshank, owner-operator of Grand River Bean Inc. near Paris, Ont., said it’s vital edible beans get out of the gate evenly. Highland’s model of setting the field up in the fall, one-pass planting in the spring and using tighter rows to maximize plant architecture is impressive.
“They are kind of a lethargic crop, so you have to kind of baby them along. You’re doing that with your seeding technology and the seeding process,” Cruickshank told Metzger. “These are excellent and off to a beautiful start; they’re doing their stuff and looking good.”
He said Grey County beans are in better shape than their southern counterparts, who dealing with a poor bean, with flooded headlands and horrible weather.
Metzger said cranberry beans are a high-return crop, but only if they are limited to approximately 400 acres and treated with herbicides, fungicides and insecticides as needed to retain their worth.
“Last year, we started (CruiserMaxx and AGTIV Reach liquid inoculant for precise in-furrow application) and had good success in the plots,” he said. “There was 400 pounds per acre difference.”
In 2023, they harvested very large, excellent-quality beans at approximately 600 seeds a pound, leading to a few planter challenges. This year, the seed size was about 750 to 800.
Usually, a large bean crop is undercut, pulled into a windrow, and harvested with a bean combine, whose bucket elevator limits mechanical damage, Moran said, but Metzger employs his own process.
He’ll desiccate around Sept. 5 to 10 before combining directly with a MacDon and then plant winter wheat between Sept. 15 to 20.
“The longer you can wait to combine, the better, but there’s a fine line,” said Metzger. “The (six-inch) pods are literally on the ground. The new MacDon heads seem to work pretty darn good.”
Metzger wonders why combine manufacturers haven’t designed a conveyer system instead of augers, which works better and uses less horsepower.
“But still it is a challenge putting a large-seeded bean through a grain combine that’s engineered for smaller grains,” said Cruickshank, adding cranberry bean demand is growing which is refreshing compared to soybeans or corn.
Some of Metzger’s cranberry beans will be processed by Grand River Bean, which ships them to various Mediterranean and Caribbean countries and Central America. Traffic south is increasing to meet demand alongside population growth and cultural diversity.
“It’s a beautiful crop to work with; I like the results,” he said. “It’s the Wild West with us here – you’ve got to figure it out.”
