Snap beans are a vegetable crop in the legume family that lend themselves well to small-scale and part-time farming operations. Initial investment is relatively low, and many field operations, such as land preparation, planting, and mechanical harvesting, can be custom hired. Equipment needs on a small-acreage farm are not very great, and most of the equipment can be used for other purposes.
Snap beans originated in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. They were grown by Native Americans throughout North America in a traditional companion planting strategy with squash and corn known as the "Three Sisters." They continue to be an important crop, and U.S. farmers began breeding the bean around 1890 because of interest in bean varieties with stringless pods.
The United States harvested snap beans for two basic purposes: processing and fresh marketing. In recent years, the U.S. has harvested an average of around 177,000 acres of snap beans with a value of over $278 million (64 percent from fresh market). Pennsylvania harvested an average of almost 7,100 acres of snap beans with a value of over $8.3 million (34 percent from fresh market).
Marketing
Fresh-market snap beans usually are produced in Pennsylvania from June through October. Snap bean cultivars recommended for Pennsylvania are listed in Table 1. Six marketing alternatives are available to snap bean growers: wholesale markets, cooperatives, local retailers (grocery stores), roadside stands, pick-your-own operations, and processing firms.
Fresh-market snap bean growers have several marketing options. First, you can contract with shippers to market and ship your snap beans for a predetermined price. You can also ship your crop to a wholesale market like a produce auction, but you may face considerable price fluctuations depending on supply and demand conditions at the time. One way to avoid these fluctuations is to join or form a marketing cooperative that uses a daily pooled cost and price that spreads price fluctuations over all participating producers. Local retailers are another possible market, but you must take the time to contact produce managers and provide high-quality snap beans when stores require them. Roadside stands (either your own or another grower's), farmer's markets, and pick-your-own operations provide opportunities to receive higher than wholesale prices for your snap beans, but you may have some additional expenses for advertising, building and maintaining a facility, transportation, and providing service to your customers. With pick-your-own operations, you save on harvest costs, but you also must be willing to accept some waste. Depending on your location, processors may or may not be a marketing option. Snap bean processors generally contract with growers before planting for a predetermined quantity and price; they are less likely to contract with small-acreage growers (those with less than five acres).
