The new Protein Aid Scheme 2023, which has an increased budget of €7 million, will make beans and other protein crops much more attractive to tillage farmers this year.
In 2022, approximately 11,000ha of protein crops were grown. This year it is hoped to increase this to somewhere near 14,000ha, which would give a payment of €500/ha.
When this is factored into the margins projected in the recently published Teagasc Costs and Returns booklet, beans compare very favourably with other combinable crops.
Growing beans
Only winter oilseed rape performs better than beans. Malting barley is the next best. The performance of beans has been variable on many farms over the last few years, according to Teagasc.
But some growers seem to get consistently good yields. Beans like moisture-retentive soils or soils that don’t dry out during the spring or summer.
Soils that are drought prone rarely perform well unless there is a damp summer. In lighter soils, peas can often perform better, but they are risky to harvest.
Beans perform well where the soil indices for phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are high. Trials from Oak Park, Co. Carlow have shown that where beans are sown in Index 1 or 2 soils for P and K, they never yield as well as those sown in Index 3 soils, regardless of how much fertiliser is used.
Ideally, beans should only be drilled in the same field every five to six years, and from a disease point of view, the longer between crops, the better.
Growers should plan to drill as early as conditions allow. However, soil conditions are as important as planting date, especially if a direct drill or min-till system is used.
Drilling into wet soils can reduce root development and nutrient uptake.
Growers should aim to establish 30 plants/m² and try to complete drilling by early to mid-March. Numerous trials have confirmed that beans don’t perform well when planted late in the season, i.e., in April.
Growers should also remember that later planting also results in later harvesting. This can cause a number of problems, such as increased moisture and reduced quality.
But the good news is that the current spell of good weather is helping to dry out ground in all parts of the country at a hefty rate of knots, according to Teagasc.