Farmers embrace the rise of versatile, nutritious beans
Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s — a Southern tradition dating back to the Civil War — has long been thought to bring good luck for the year ahead. But even without such blessings, beans are booming in Colorado, with a group of dedicated farmers and processors bringing them to market every year, where they end up on consumers’ plates and bowls throughout the country.
“Colorado produces a very high quality of beans,” says Troy Seaworth, president of the Colorado Dry Bean Committee and owner of Seaworth Farms, a third generation bean farm in Larimer County. “We are known for producing bright, light-colored pinto beans, which consumers like. Beans fit Colorado well because of our central location for shipping and cool nights and elevation for growing. We’re a great bean state.”
A Colorado bean field harvest, above. Close-up of mayocoba beans, at left. Photos courtesy of A Legume a Day
A quick lesson on legumes. The dry bean market consists of navy beans, light red kidney beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, black turtle soup beans, Anasazi beans, and others. The main one grown in Colorado is pinto, comprising about 85% of the market, with mayocoba and light red kidney following suit. Weld County is the state’s main contributor with 21,772 acres of active bean farming.
It all adds up to big business. According to the USDA’s Natural Agricultural Statistics Service, Colorado ranks seventh in the country in bean production, putting $26 million of dry beans on the market in 2022 (just under onions at $28 million and well below potatoes at $251 million and corn at $900 million). And though down from a high output of $41.5 million in 2020, that’s still a sizable pod, with 2024’s crop expected to come close to that high mark.
HOW THEY GROW
While not quite in the same league as Jack’s giant beanstalk, Colorado’s bean success owes itself to the state’s bright blue skies and nutrient-rich soils. Warm sunny days and a dry climate mixed with higher altitudes and cold nights are great for growing pinto and mayocoba, creating denser beans with deeper and more complex flavors. Combined with the state’s great soil, this also makes them brighter colored and more appealing to buyers. Most beans are planted between May 20 and July 1, and crop rotation is crucial. Irrigated beans usually employ a three- or four-year rotation with corn, barley, wheat, and alfalfa; dryland beans are rotated every three years with grain sorghum, wheat, and sunflowers.
Irrigating a recently planted pinto bean field and close-up of small bean plants.
“Dry beans are an exceptional part of a rotation for a farm,” says Jay Ewald, a fourth generation farmer who spent time cattle ranching in South America before settling back north of Greeley as CEO of processor Northern Feed & Bean. “They put nitrogen back in the soil, resulting in a 15% yield increase in crops like corn the following year. They also take less water and break the weed and pest cycles.” As well as replenishing the soil’s nutrients to support future plant growth, beans also require less water and have a low carbon footprint compared to other protein sources.
Finally, comes their economics, adds Ewald, one of a dozen Colorado processors who clean, bag, and ship beans for hundreds of local growers. “When bean prices are up and those of other crops are down, they’re a great alternative,” he says, adding that yellow beans also do well in the Centennial State. “When farmers decide what to plant, they look at crop cycles and prices. If corn prices are high, they’ll plant more corn. When beans are higher, they’ll grow more beans. We don’t have any growers that only grow beans, nor do we recommend it.”
This is most likely why bean production dropped after 2020, according to Seaworth. “It was probably due to the high corn prices then,” he says. “Corn is easier to grow as there are more weed-control options available for it. And harvesting corn is easier and faster than it is for beans.” He adds that livestock and dairy farms are also growing, requiring more feed, which can push some acres out of beans and into forage crops. “Market conditions can push production up or down just based on supply and demand,” he says.
Then comes the weather, which also plays a role. “Mother Nature usually determines how big the crop is,” says Ewald, adding the best areas are those hugging the mountains along the Front Range. “Heat and wind during blossoming time means fewer pods and smaller crops.”
Jay Ewald, CEO of Northern Feed & Bean. Photo courtesy of A Legume a Day
We’re bullish on beans. Pinto beans from this state are world-renowned — as much as Rocky Ford melons and Palisade peaches.” —Jay Ewald, CEO of Northern Feed & Bean
BEANS’ BENEFITS AND SPREADING THE WORD
Forget that song you learned as a kid: “Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat…” (you know the rest). Beans have far more gastronomical clout than they do gas production. They’re an excellent source of fiber, potassium, and iron, and nutritionists have found beans can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. Low in fat with zero grams of trans and saturated fat, they’re also cholesterol-free and low in sodium, making them perfect for helping with weight loss programs, plant-based diets including vegan and vegetarian, and pescetarian, non-GMO, and gluten-free diets. They also easily kick up concoctions in the kitchen at home, providing an endless array of culinary options — their soft texture and mellow flavor makes them a perfect canvas to incorporate into any meal.
Colorado produces a very high quality of beans.” — Troy Seaworth, President of the Colorado Dry Bean Committee and owner of Seaworth Farms
Ewald isn’t shy about Colorado’s legumes. “We’re bullish on beans,” he says. “Pinto beans from this state are world-renowned — as much as Rocky Ford melons and Palisade peaches.” People buy beans with their eyes, he says, so the brighter and bigger, the better. “Consumers don’t want dark-colored beans,” he says. “That means they’re older and perceived as lower quality.” He adds that Colorado is third only to North Dakota and Nebraska for pintos. “We’re known for some of the best pinto beans in the world,” he says. “We might not be known for black beans, but we can certainly toot our horn about our pintos.”
Still, image is everything, which is where groups like the Colorado Dry Bean Committee come in. The trade association is trying to promote the state’s stature in the bean world. It participates in such events as Colorado State University’s annual Ag Day; promotes beans on its social channels, sharing everything from photos to recipe ideas; blasts out a bimonthly bean newsletter; and hosts such events as the Bean Summit. Last year’s summit featured seminars on bean production; a grower panel with such legume legends as Seaworth, JT Farms’ Joe Newton, and Dan Hinman; a discussion on bean nutrition; a panel discussion with organizations using local beans, including Food Bank of the Rockies; and a legume-centric lunch featuring bean dishes from five Colorado chefs.
“Beans have a decent following here, but it could be better,” says committee president Seaworth, who grows beans on about 150 acres of his farm’s total 2,000. “Compared to other big crops like corn and wheat, beans don’t have as much funding and publicity.”
Ewald also recently met with Gov. Jared Polis about beans’ importance in the state, resulting in Polis issuing a proclamation for the state’s annual Colorado Bean Week every September. Bean Week includes promotions such as Back to School Beans, bean podcasts, and more, showing how important beans are to local food systems and how they can support human and environmental health. The movement also has the support of such bean stalwarts as Colorado’s Chelsea Didinger, founder of A Legume a Day, a website promoting recipes, farming, and other things legume.
Just like a bubbling pot of black-eyed peas, it all boils down to a Colorado crop with the good fortune of finally getting its due.
BEAN COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Quick soak – Rinse and sort beans in a large pot. For 1 pound of dry beans (about 2 cups) add 5–8 cups of hot water. Bring to a rapid boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain soak water and rinse beans.
Overnight soak – Rinse and sort beans in a large pot. For 1 pound of dry beans (about 2 cups) add 5–8 cups of cold water. Let sit overnight or at least for 6 to 8 hours. Drain soak water and rinse beans.
Cooking – Add 6 cups of hot water to sorted and rinsed beans. Simmer gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness is reached, about 1½ to 2 hours.
Serving information – A portion of uncooked beans typically doubles after cooking (e.g. 2 cups uncooked equals between 4–5 cups of cooked beans). The average serving size is estimated to be 1/4 cup of uncooked beans per person (approx. 1/2 cup of cooked beans).
A SHORT HISTORY OF BLACK-EYED PEAS
Stories vary about black-eyed peas’ presence in the U.S., but most legume scholars agree that the crop was brought to today’s United States by enslaved Africans in the 1600s as they were transported to the Americas. West Africans reportedly long considered black-eyed peas a good luck charm to ward off evil spirits, and they are often served on holidays and birthdays.
The tradition of eating them here dates to the Civil War when Northern troops considered them only suitable for animals, with raiding soldiers often leaving them behind. Because of the bean’s lowly reputation, Union troops would ignore their fields while razing or stealing other crops. But during harsh winters, the Confederate soldiers survived on them, promoting the legume into a symbol of fortune and prosperity in the American South.
As for bringing good fortune, in the South it’s all about the beans and greens on New Year’s Day — usually collard greens and black-eyed peas — where beans represent luck and greens represent money. Sometimes, people will add a coin to the pot; whoever gets it receives the best luck for the New Year.
Eugene Buchanan is a former reporter for the Denver Business Journal and 14-year publisher and editor-in-chief of Paddler magazine. His freelance articles have been published in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Forbes Life, and more. He lives in Steamboat Springs.