Varieties Grown

    Maverick pinto was the most commonly grown dry bean variety, planted on 22% of Northarvest
respondents' acres (Table 5). Montcalm dark red kidney was the second most commonly grown dry
bean variety, planted on 10% of Northarvest respondents' acres, followed by Winchester pinto on 8%
of their acres, T-39 black on 7% of their acres; and Norstar navy on 6% of their acres. These numbers
are in contrast to 1997, when Norstar navy was the leading variety and Maverick was the seventh most
commonly grown variety. A major reduction in navy bean acres in 1998 and inadequate supplies of
Maverick seed in 1997 may have affected these changes.

Table 5: Varieties grown in 1998 by Northarvest respondents in Minnesota and North Dakota

    Maverick was the most commonly grown pinto variety, planted on 27% of Minnesota, 45% of North
Dakota and 43% of Northarvest respondents' pinto acres. Winchester was the second most commonly
grown pinto variety, planted on 25% of Minnesota, 15% of North Dakota and 16% of Northarvest
respondents' pinto acres (Table 6). These numbers show a dramatic switch from 1997, when Othello
was the most commonly planted pinto in North Dakota and Topaz was the most commonly planted pinto
in Minnesota. In 1996, almost no pinto acres were planted to varieties resistant to the common races of
rust. In 1998, the rust resistant varieties Maverick, Winchester, Remington and Chase accounted for 71%
of Northarvest pinto acres.

    Norstar was the leading navy variety, planted on 39% of Minnesota, 35% of North Dakota and 36%
of Northarvest respondents' navy acres. Mayflower was the second most commonly planted navy, planted
on 5% of Minnesota, 25% of North Dakota and 20% of Northarvest respondents' acres, followed by Vista,
planted on 18% of Minnesota, 11% of North Dakota and 13% of Northarvest respondents' acres, and
Schooner, planted on 16% of Minnesota, 10% of North Dakota and 11% of Northarvest respondents'
navy acres (Table 6). Norstar, the leading navy variety in 1997, continued as the leading navy variety in
1998, but Mayflower acres increased dramatically in North Dakota in 1998.

    Montcalm dark red kidney continued to be the leading kidney bean variety, planted on 78% of
Minnesota, 100% of North Dakota's very few kidney acres and 79% of Northarvest respondents'
kidney acres (Table 6).

    T-39 was the leading black bean variety, planted on 50% each of Minnesota, North Dakota and
Northarvest respondents' black bean acres, followed by Shadow, planted on none of Minnesota, 36%
of North Dakota and 31% of Northarvest respondents' acres, and UI-911, planted on 36% of
Minnesota, 6% of North Dakota and 10% of Northarvest respondents' black bean acres (Table 6).

Table 6: Leading varieties of dry bean, by market class, grown in Minnesota and North
               Dakota in 1998