Beanutiful

[BeanMan]

Here are two pictures which sum up a portion of my summer's work effort. Kind of proud of my babies.

The pinto bean breeding block, 150 new bean crosses and 20 seed increases. They are being 'increased' and evaluated.

Colorado Bookcliff's in the background.

Mayacoba, Canario (yellow beans,) and Fleur de Mayo bean evaluations and increases.

 

[eelgrass]

It looks like (to the uneducated eye) the guy who planted the beans next to yours is a lot better BeanMan than you. Nothing personal of course.

Are you sure you're proud of your beans? They look like they could use a little nitrogen.........

Eel

 

[BeanMan]

Eel, the season length we are breeding for is around 94 days, the yellowing in my beans is because they are approaching maturity. Those are soybeans that I planted next to them

 

[rugarm77]

Nice looking crop ! Great buck to in the background!!!! eel did you spot the buck??

 

[eelgrass]

Rug, no, but I spotted the pinto tortoise.

Eel

 

[Wiszard]

I thought beans grew on a tree like fruit. Beans, beans, the musical FRUIT....

Steve
T&A Inspector

 

[rugarm77]

>Rug, no, but I spotted the
>pinto tortoise.
>
>Eel


Good eye eel !!! Your training has served your well...LOL

 

[sageadvice]

Beanman, Great looking fields!!

I'm a old farm boy but not sure of the term, "being increased". What "increased" mean? Providing more product per acre?? Thanks!!

Joey

 

[BeanMan]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-26-10 AT 08:26PM (MST)[p]Joey,

An 'increase' is a F2 (or F3) generation that shows promise. A cross happens with a paintbrush to transfere pollen, that produces perhaps 20 seeds in the greenhouse which is the filial generation 1 or F1. It then goes to a field location where all 20 seeds are planted in a row and harvested without cross contaminating them with other beans. Usually they will get dropped from the program at this point if they don't exhibit the hoped for traits like disease resistance, large seed size etc, and upright plant architecture. If they are OK then they get 'increased' a generation (F) at a time until there is enough seed for them to go to trials. Trials compare a bunch of different beans and we get yield data, seed quality, plant architecture, and a bunch of other stuff. If they make the grade locally they will go to national trials in different growing environments. About one in every 1000 crosses gets released either as a new variety or germ plasm to be shared with other breeders. I am not a breeder but the fieldman who runs the trials and maintains released varieties in a disease free and variety pure state. Pretty tedious, such is the life of a BeanMan.

 

[ramtagless]

Cool stuff Bean. You an agronomist? I know a bit about the seed business.

I am probably one of the few MM'ers that has detassled corn. What a god awful job, but when you are 13 in farm country...not a lot of options. My wife graduated from detassling and worked research, hand pollinating and stuff. My buddies referred to that work as jerking off corn. Their words, not mine. lol

 

[NickW]

I knew that I shouldn't have opened this thread during the cocktail hour!?!?!?!?!?

 

[sageadvice]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-26-10 AT 08:46PM (MST)[p]Thanks Beanman!!! I was a ag major in High School and College but that term didn't ring any bells. Football rang my bell a few times though...could be the problem...

Joey

 

[BeanMan]

Ramtagless,

I sort of fell into the bean thing. My training is as an Entomologist, I moved to Fruita, CO and the CSU Fruita Research Center in 1988, to work on Russian Wheat Aphid problems in small grains. I knew it was soft money and not a permanent job. When we got RWA management figured out the money ran out and I had the option of moving back to Fort Collins or sliding over into the Seed Managers position. I didn't want to leave western Colorado and go back to the Front Range rat race so here I am 22 years later.

 

[30inchbuck]

The beans from that part of CO are the best.

Thanks beanman for your work!

 

[sageadvice]

"The beans from that part of CO are the best"

+1, I had some of Beanman's fresh pintos and it's night and day a lot better product than what you will find in a store. Not just saying that either! Beanmans fresh Pintos are the Bomb!!!

Joey

 

[eelgrass]

Isn't there a book titled "Colorado's Biggest Bucks and Beans"?

 

[completesportsman]

Cool stuff Beanman, I'd never heard that terminology either. You been riding your mountain bike any this summer?

 

[ramtagless]

Hey Bean -

Wasn't it you that posted a picture of some wacky harvesting machine with uncovered belts and pulleys running to-and-fro?

It was a while ago, so maybe not. If I had to run that machine I would be counting my toes, fingers, arms and (3) legs when I got home.

 

[BeanMan]

Eel,

I believe the title is "Colorado's Biggest Beans and Bucks".

Joey,

Thanks, the beans were good because they were fresh, not necessarily that I grew them. By the time beans reach the shelf in a grocery store they are probably a couple of years old. Old, dried up, coffee beans are in the same category. Fresh is best.

Ram,

The VW beetle powere Hege combine was responsible for half a finger of one of our seasonal's this summer while harvesting canola trials, he stuck his finger in the sickle section while it was moving, a cardinal sin. I put the belt guard back on it last fall. I haven't put as many miles on the MTB bike as I would have liked, the summer went by so fast. I'm going for a ride today though.

 

[eelgrass]

Fred, I've been giving you a hard time but it's all in jest. You obviously take pride in your work and it shows.

I remember that piece of equipment. It took some real thought to design that.

Eel

 

[kilbuc]

That machine looks like an OSHA wet dream....LOL.

from the "Heartland of Wyoming"

 

[BeanMan]

eel,

No worries, I comprenez, although my humour is sometimes too dry to catch.

The Hege Combine, From Germany, is not only a OSHA nightmare but a mechanical nightmare. Unfortunately I have gotten stuck as the Hege Master title. I hate working on that POS.

 

[driftersifter]

Hey beanman How many bushels per acre of the soys do you get in that country? I raise about 200 of beans and 250 of corn here in wisconsin. If I had thought of it I would of visited your farm a couple of weeks ago and looked at it up close and personal. My beans are a couple of weeks from maturity.
Mike

 

[BeanMan]

Drifter,

We get 70-75bu/A on our better ground for soybeans. Corn we get around 240bu. We benefit from having a long growing season with very low humidity and few disease/insect problems. I'd be happy to show off the research farm to anyone who is interested.
Fred

 

[moundtown]

200 bushel beans??? Thats one hell of a crop of soybeans!!

 

[ramtagless]

Pretty sure he means acres. You'd be sh!tten in tall cotton if you got 200 bushel double digit beans. Those are impressive yields bean.

 

[moundtown]

I hope thats the case . Cause if he was growing 200 bushel beans why even bother with corn. I thought my 65 bushel average was pretty good for gumbo bottom ground until I red that !!

 

[BeanMan]

That be for 43560 square feet.

 

[driftersifter]

Yes I mean acres my yields average around 30 bushel beans and 140 corn. I don't irrigate and we have some pretty sandy soil.
Thanks again for the pics and education.
Mike