Crop Rotations

    Crop rotations used by Northarvest respondents involved several years between dry bean crops.
Nearly 33% of the dry beans planted in Minnesota followed corn, 31% followed wheat, 16% followed
soybeans, 8% followed barley, 6% followed sugarbeets and 4% followed potatoes. Nearly 70% of
dry beans planted in North Dakota followed wheat, 13% followed barley, 10% followed corn and 6%
followed sugarbeet (Table 25). The percentage of various crops that preceded dry beans in each state
was similar to 1997.

Table 25: Crop grown the year prior to dry beans in 1998 by
                 respondents in Minnesota and North Dakota

aPercent of those responding to question.

    Three, four and five year rotations were common in Minnesota, with 30%, 38% and 25% of
respondents who answered the question citing these respective rotations. Only 5% of Minnesota
respondents cited a two year rotation. In North Dakota, two, three and four year rotations were
common, with 34%, 32% and 20% of respondents' citing these respective rotations. Only 14% of
North Dakota respondents reported using a five year rotation (Table 26).

Table 26: Number of years in dry bean rotation in
                 1998 in Minnesota and North Dakota

aPercent of those responding to question.