Dry Edible Beans

Mixed dry edible beans

The latest Extension information about dry bean production and management practices from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Nebraska's Dry Bean Industry

Nebraska dry edible bean producers plant anywhere from 140,000 to 200,000 acres of beans annually, producing approximately 1 billion servings. This production is concentrated in western Nebraska, where the climate is arid and the warm days and cool nights provide excellent growing conditions for dry edible beans.

In 2021, Nebraska ranked nationally in dry bean production:

  • 1st in production of Great Northern beans
  • 2nd in production of pinto beans and light red kidney beans
  • 4th in production of all dry edible beans

Hear from farmers in the Nebraska Panhandle and follow dry bean harvest from start to finish in this film by Joe Patterson with support from the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission.

Learn More About Dry Beans:

Related Articles

Researchers examine dry bean field
In a dry edible bean plot at the UNL PREEC Mitchell Lab, Maria Alvarado, UNL graduate student, left, Kainyon Tay, head of the legume program in Chile, and Carlos Urrea, UNL dry bean breeder, look for desirable bean plants. (Photo by Chabella Guzman)

Bean Breeders Scout Fields for Desirable Bean Genetics

September 28, 2023
The best dry bean plants in the Nebraska Panhandle will soon be sent to researchers across the world as part of an ongoing international collaboration on cross-breeding. 

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Corn field at harvest
Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA.

Crop Progress: Harvest 2023 Ahead of Average Pace

September 27, 2023
Harvest of Nebraska crops was ahead of average pace as of Sept. 24, with the exception of dry edible beans, which remained slightly behind last year's progress.

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Tractor in on-farm research field

Growing Results: Direct Harvest of Dry Beans

September 20, 2023
As part of this year's studies, the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network is partnering with Nebraska farmers to evaluate which dry bean varieties are best-suited for direct harvest. 

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Researchers sitting in bean field
Timothy Porch, research geneticist at USDA ARS, left, and Carlos Urrea, Nebraska Extension dry bean breeding specialist, scout a plot of dry beans. (Photo by Chelsea Didinger)

Dry Bean Breeders Collaborate on Climate-savvy Bean

September 19, 2023
Researchers at UNL and USDA ARS in Puerto Rico are collaborating on the development of new drought-tolerance dry bean lines using plant genes from tepary beans, a crop native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.

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Sorghum field
Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA.

Crop Progress: Nebraska Sorghum Harvest Begins

September 18, 2023
Sorghum harvest was underway in Nebraska as of Sept. 17, and crop conditions remained unchanged from the previous week.

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