This article is full of beans, Azuki beans that is. These beans are the little red beans which originated in Japan, and are thought to bring good luck in many Asian cultures. Crysler’s Thomas Uhr agrees.

"I think me and Azukis agree with each other!" he exclaimed. "Our first year, our trial year, was not the greatest but we were still happy. That is why we continued. I’ve had really good luck with them, and that is why I got out of soybeans. I’ve had better luck with the Azukis."

The Azuki bean is an important, traditional pulse crop in Eastern Asia where Japan, China and South Korea are major consumers. The seed is utilized in many ways by these Asian countries, but the most common is as a highly sweetened bean paste used in a large range of cakes, buns, confectionary, and drinks.

Hensall District Co-operative (HDC), whose motto is "Proud to be farmer owned", came to Eastern Ontario to promote the Azuki Bean among local farmers. "Hensall’s objective is to get beans growing in all areas of Ontario," stated Hensall’s Murray Insley, "The production of dry beans is a small area on a huge continent. We want to spread the risk over a greater area."

HDC is also trying to dispel the myths that Azuki beans are hard to grow and provide low returns per acre. Bainsville’s Shawn McRae considers the beans to be his most profitable crop grown in a five year rotation, which is a key component of his soil management program.

Soil management is the foundation of McRae’s farming philosophy. "If you can grow healthy crops at lower costs, it gives the farmer more opportunities. If you have degraded soil, it doesn’t matter how good a mechanic you are or how you manage your money, you won’t make the best returns from your crop. In terms of priority, everything starts with soil health."

Japanese buyers visit every year. "Together we walk the fields, dig up roots, and smell the dirt. What they want is high quality food for their people," McRae said. It is this attention to detail that allows him to maximize profits from his business.

"That’s the way we do business," he acknowledged, "We don’t want to be on an expansion treadmill to compete globally. We make sure that every acre of our cropland is profitable every year. The premium is on the table but we have to work for it."

While McRae includes the Azuki beans in a five year rotation, Uhr utilizes a two year rotation on his 120 acres. "It’s not really much more difficult to grow than conventional crops." claimed Uhr. "But herbicide wise it’s going to be a little more expensive. Normally I treat mine with a pre-emerge and a post-emerge." Uhr has experimented leaving the post emerge out, but would not recommend doing that again since the beans could stain or get dirt tag from grasses.

"Yeah, your herbicide program will be a little more expensive," admitted Uhr, "but I have never been afraid I wasn’t going to get it back in the end with the increased price of a cleaner bean plus the yields."

HDC offers a set protocol and producer information for those interested in growing the Azuki bean. "The Japanese have been producing these beans for over 1,000 years and we have been doing it for 100," said Insley. "We want the farmer to learn and do it right."

Since the Azuki has a shallow root it requires loose, loamy soils, good drainage and fertility, as well as clean fields. They also demand the fussiest person available to combine. "You do not want to get seeds on the ground, they volunteer years later." explained Insley, "The best control is to incorporate the seeds mechanically into the ground, let it sprout, and then kill it."

With an average net yield of 22.92 cwt per acre over the last six years as well as an average gross revenue of $825 per acre, HDC hopes more eastern Ontario producers grow the little red bean and say "Bean there, done that!"