Dry beans (kidney, black turtle, and other market classes) are warm-season annual legumes grown on well-drained soils for dry-edible markets. Suitable for Zones 3-11 with 90-115 day maturity; nitrogen-fixing and frost-sensitive.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Growing Season
- Plant
- Late May - mid June (soil >60F) – Late May - mid June (soil >60F)
- Harvest
- Sept - early Oct (90-115 days) – Sept - early Oct (90-115 days)
- Frost-free days
- 100+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,600
Yield
- Typical yield
- 1,500 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Labor
- 8 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
2 active buyers on record purchasing this crop.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "declining".
Supply Below Demand
Only 1 of 6 documented channels rate viability "strong" — not enough to establish that regional demand would absorb additional supply.
Multiple Buyer Channels
4 of 6 documented market channels rate viable or better (wholesale, direct_to_consumer, farmers_market, retail). Multiple independent routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
2 viable direct-market channels (direct_to_consumer, farmers_market). Supports value-added and margin capture beyond wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Mature vegetable market; growth over a 5-year horizon is expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 3-11; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 1600 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Sufficient.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~16 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 100 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Not applicable — annual crop has no winter chill requirement.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 9 hardiness zones (3-11). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 60% cited.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 60% cited.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 60% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- n/a
- Frost-free season
- 100+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- 1,600+
- Winter chill
- n/a
- Rainfall
- 19.7–169.3 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 6.5–6.8
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- n/a
- Needs cold-air drainage
- n/a
- Shade tolerance
- none — full sun
- Mature height
- not yet recorded
- Rooting depth
- not yet recorded
- Wind exposure tolerance
- not yet recorded
- Workable slope
- not yet recorded
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
3 of 10 documented equipment items are crop-specific (30%) against a catalog median of 29%. Above-median share of purpose-built equipment, implying real capital outlay.
Storage Available
2 documented storage routes; at least one (Grain bin (on-farm)) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~16 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
Labor requirement not recorded. Catalog 75th percentile is 250 hr/ac.
Processing Proximity
2 processor/cooperative buyers on record for this crop, 1 within NY/PA/OH.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Conventional tillage prepares fine seedbed. No-till is possible but requires specialized planters and good residue management.
Standard planter (corn/soybean) suits most market classes. Narrow-row systems (15-22") increase yield in some types but complicate harvest.
irrigation
Cost per acre installed. Irrigation common for high-value classes (white kidney, cranberry); rainfed acceptable for navy and pinto in adequate-rainfall regions.
spraying
Self-propelled or pull-type. Used for pre-emerge herbicide, foliar fungicide (white mold management), and pre-harvest desiccant.
cultivation
Mechanical weed control supplemental to herbicides. More important in organic systems and where herbicide-resistant weeds are present.
harvesting
Severs taproots and lifts plants into windrows for field-drying. Primary specialized investment that distinguishes dry-bean from soybean equipment.
Cost is for the pickup attachment / specialized header (combine itself shared with grain crops). Slow ground speed and gentle threshing reduce splits.
post_harvest
Dry beans are sold by visual standards. Stones, splits, and discolored seeds must be removed to meet contract grades. Custom cleaning services exist as alternative.
Storage at 13-15% moisture with aeration prevents quality loss. Cost is per typical 5,000 bushel bin. Shared with other small-grain storage.
general
Used or off-lease pricing. Shared with other row crops; not a dedicated dry-bean cost.
Storage Requirements
Grain bin (on-farm)
Temperature
35–60°F
Max Storage
180 days
Long-term dry storage
Temperature
35–60°F
Max Storage
540 days
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $688/ac vs catalog median $6,000/ac. Below median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Annual operating cost $255/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $6,300/ac. Within typical range.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 0 years. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Cannot compute — labor hours not recorded. Catalog median is $13.16/hr.
Grants/Subsidies
Vegetable crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $25//cwt |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $3,750 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $1,000/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $245/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $2,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA RMA, regional budget studies (2025)
Risk Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
3 of 9 documented risks are high-severity (33%) against a catalog median of 36%. Risk load is manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
4 viable market channels of 6 documented, plus 2 named buyers. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
0 years to full production at $245/ac establishment cost. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 3-11 (9 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a vegetable revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Most damaging disease of dry beans in temperate regions. Produces white cottony growth on stems and pods. Sclerotia persist in soil. Favored by dense canopy and wet conditions.
Seed-borne bacterial disease causing water-soaked lesions on leaves and pods. Reduces yield and seed quality. Spreads rapidly in warm, wet conditions.
Seed-borne and aphid-transmitted virus causing mosaic patterns, leaf curling, and stunting. Can reduce yields 25-60%.
Multiple soil pathogens cause seedling damping off and root rot, especially in cool, wet soils. Fusarium root rot is most persistent.
pest
Ladybird beetle relative whose larvae skeletonize leaves from underneath. Major pest in eastern North America. Can defoliate entire fields.
Adults feed on leaves creating round holes; larvae feed on roots and nodules. Also vectors bean pod mottle virus.
climate
Dry beans are sensitive to temperatures >32°C during flowering. Heat causes flower abortion, reduced pod set, and yield loss. Climate change increases frequency.
weather
Rain at harvest maturity causes seed staining, sprouting in pod, and quality downgrade. Dry beans are pulled or cut and windrowed before combining.
market
Dry bean markets are thin and price-volatile compared to corn/soybean. Prices swing with global supply (Mexico, China, Myanmar). Contract pricing helps stabilize.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 341 kcal | 2,320,164 kcal |
| Protein | 21.6 g | 146,966 g |
| Total fat | 1.4 g | 9,662 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62.4 g | 424,297 g |
| Fiber | 15.5 g | 105,462 g |
| Sugar | 2.1 g | 14,424 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Nutrient cycling
- Rotational break in cereal sequencesmoderate
As a broadleaf pulse, dry bean interrupts cereal disease and weed cycles, and its residue decomposes faster than cereal straw, releasing nutrients earlier in the following season.
Applies when: Benefit depends on rotation length; back-to-back pulses forfeit it and raise white mould risk.Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Biodiversity
- Rotational diversity in row-crop systemsmoderate
Adds a distinct crop family to corn and small-grain rotations, broadening the soil biological community relative to a continuous cereal system.
Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Soil nitrogen
- Partial biological nitrogen fixationlow
Dry beans fix nitrogen but are, in the words of Saskatchewan Agriculture, "relatively poor N-fixers, producing less than 45% of their N requirement". The rotational nitrogen credit is therefore materially smaller than for soybean or forage legumes, and the crop still needs residual soil N or fertiliser to meet its 78-90 lb N/ac demand at 2,000 lb/ac yield.
Applies when: Requires effective Rhizobium inoculation; do not budget a full legume N credit for the following crop.Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
No cultivars recorded yet for this crop.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Dry Bean →
Avoid near, or plan around (44)
Grows with (13)
Tolerates (2)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Basis: lake erie View economics source →
54 tracked changes across 8 data categories
