A family-run beef, sheep and arable farm in Northumberland has become virtually self-sufficient in protein and feed requirements, by growing as much as they can in-house.

Homegrown wholecrop winter bean silage as a high protein alternative to soya, is a key part of this strategy for T Bean and Sons, near Newcastle, and has helped completely displace the need for bought-in protein feed.

Indeed, they estimate the annual benefit from growing their own feeds could be worth at least £50,000 to £60,000, so there are strong financial and efficiency benefits, as well as being more environmentally sustainable, says Wayne Bean.

“We started looking into growing our own protein several years ago – mainly because the price of purchased products was increasing quite a lot at the time, and we were never entirely happy with the consistency of the liquid molasses we used to buy.

“We initially started off growing a few acres of Fuego spring beans in 2007, but four years ago, we switched to winter beans, mainly because it gives us more herbicide options for controlling brome. Being a winter crop, it also eases the workload in the spring, as things can get quite busy around lambing, with 2,500 ewes to look after on the farm as well.”

The business now grows 20-25 ha (50-60 acres) of Tundra winter beans from Limagrain UK; a pale skin, pale hilum variety, chosen for its yield potential, reliability, protein content, and agronomics, including good standing ability.

Winter beans are grown in rotation with a number of other crops – all for feed – including 40 ha (100 acres) of LG Astronomer winter wheat for crimping, 73 ha (180 acres) of winter and spring barley (Bolton and Sienna), also for crimping, and 38 ha (95 acres) of LG Prospect maize, for silage. Fodder beet, forage rape, and grass, are also grown for the sheep flock.

Getting a better crop

A traditional plough/ power-harrow cultivation system is used to establish beans in the autumn, and Mr Bean believes it is important to keep seed rates reasonably high to drive yield and produce a better crop.

“We generally find that around 250 kg/ha is comfortable for us, and gives a crop that is better at shielding itself from pigeons and other vermin, grows tall, stands well, and produces a decent yield. Typically, we’re getting wholecrop yields from the Tundra, of around 20 t/ha (8 t/acre) on heavier ground, but that can vary quite a lot depending on the season.”

Crops are cut once pods and stems are dry enough in early September – usually a couple of weeks before the point at which beans would normally be combined.

A notable benefit of growing Tundra winter beans is the residual nitrogen that is left for the following wheat crop, Mr Bean says. “We often see a 20-30% reduction in nitrogen use on wheat after beans, and they are quite a good soil conditioner too.”

He also thinks chocolate spot is less of a problem in the Tundra winter beans, than in the spring beans grown previously.

Quality protein feed

Once cut, the chopped wholecrop beans are added to the top of the silage clamp containing crimped wheat and barley, to utilise available space and help “seal in” the clamp, Mr Bean says. Maize silage is clamped separately.

A total mixed ration (TMR) is fed to the 200-head of beef cattle fattened every year, which includes 80 Limousin-cross suckler cows, plus other store cattle bought in from Hexham Market, aged 12-15 months. Cattle are typically taken to around 400 kg finishing carcass weight – usually reached by around 22-24 months old.

“Our aim is to finish everything as efficiently as possible, and the move to growing our own protein from winter beans has helped with that. The protein seems a lot more consistent, and has a higher digestibility, so cattle are able to utilise more of it.”

All new stock bought in for fattening can go straight onto the TMR from day one on the farm, rather than having to be eased onto the ration, as used to be done when feeding soya and dry rolled barley, he adds. That used to result in a temporary drop in performance and additional work.

Mr Bean estimates finishing time has been reduced by 3-4 months, and carcass grades are better and more consistent, with everything achieving U and U+ grades.

The move to feeding crimped grain, which began in 2007, also has benefits, he adds, as they have noticed less acid, which means no loose muck, bloated or lethargic animals, and no sign of acidosis.

Farm Facts: T.Bean & Sons

• Family business which includes; Geoff (Wayne’s Dad), Wayne’s brother Steven, Uncle Alan and his son Robert, along with Wayne’s Mum Lynne, and Alan’s wife Caroline
• 1,400 ha (3,500 acres) in Derwent Valley, Northumberland
• 400 ha owned, 120 ha rented & 810 ha common fell grazing
• 2,500 ewes
• More than 200-head of beef cattle fattened every year using their own high-quality concentrate and forage feeds, including wholecrop bean silage (as a high protein alternative to soya), crimped cereals (concentrated, rumen-friendly alternative to dry rolled grain), maize silage, and fodder beet
• No bought-in feed for cattle or sheep, other than minerals
• Cropping includes: Tundra winter beans, winter and spring barley (for crimping), winter wheat (crimping), forage maize, fodder beet, forage rape
• Variable soils

With soil temperatures warming, growers are already drilling spring pulses, or at least thinking about it!

Security of yield has never been more critical. We asked Heather Oldfield, Cereals and Pulses Product Manager, to share some key points for growers to consider;

• Seed-to-soil contact is crucial for germination, early growth, and overall yield. Don’t rush!
• Waiting an extra week can help with soil temperatures and avoid seeds sitting in a cold, damp seedbed.
• More favourable conditions mean better early growth, root development, and Nitrogen fixation.
• For optimal spring bean yields aim for 45-55 established plants per square metre. It’s important to consider field losses when deciding on the drilling rate, the conditions will always affect this.
• Green (Blue) and Yellow (White) peas have the best chance of achieving good yields when 80-90 plants per square metre are established.

Varietal choice is key to meet end market requirements, and achieve good returns. The right variety choice can make all the difference;

Beans

LG Viper — This variety has the best standing ability, and Downy Mildew and Rust tolerance available on the PGRO Descriptive List 2025. It is not the highest yielding, but farmers appreciate its consistent performance on farm.

LG Raptor — High yield potential combined with early maturity and good standing ability. It is a great variety option for a bi-cropping situation when combined with the spring pea variety LG Aviator, the two complement each other well. Watch out for the on-farm case studies – coming soon!

LG Eagle – The show’s star, topping the PGRO Descriptive List 2025. Sadly, all seeds are being used for multiplication in 2025, but please place orders early for LG Eagle in 2026 to avoid disappointment!

Peas

LG Aviator – A high yielding large blue pea with good Downy Mildew tolerance and powdery mildew resistance – not a common trait for a combining pea.

LG Corvet – New to this year’s PGRO Descriptive List, a high yielding Yellow (White) pea. Offering the best Downy Mildew tolerance in the White pea sector combined with early maturity and good standing. The variety has performed well and consistently in 3 very different trial years.

More info

Pauline Lafage, Pulse Breeding Project Manager, tells us what the challenges and opportunities are for pulse breeding.

As a breeder, what’s our focus for the future?

We continually screen for disease, better standing ability, and test where varieties fit best in different on-farm rotations. We have a large range of varieties and traits, from across the globe, to ensure new introductions are robust, stable, offer maximum yield, are fit for market, and deliver the best economical return. 

We focus on different sources of resistance and due to the evolving nature of disease, and climatic challenges, we aim to evolve the breeding programmes just as quickly. By having close links to farmers and the onwards supply chain, we are confident LG varieties are fit for future challenges. As pulse breeders, we know the positive attributes of the inclusion of pulses in both human and livestock diets and we look to achieve varieties that also offer a strong nutritional profile.

What do we see as being the biggest threats to UK pulses?

Difficulties with weather and competition for land now falling under SFI, has meant the true potential benefits of pulses have not always been realised in recent years.  The unintended consequence of this has put extra pressure on the inclusion of pulses within the rotation, with many mixtures containing legumes.The mixture with pulses (intermediate crops used between two main crops) used by the farmer is an interesting topic. We are not 100% that one pathogen is specific to one pulse or to all the pulses. Changes to cultivation practices have also caused difficulties with establishment, particularly of high yielding pea crops. 

How important is the UK to LG’s breeding programme?

We have a commitment to UK pulses, with extensive trial and multiplication work underway in England and Scotland.

The UK is our main target for faba bean breeding, with commercial production in 22/23 of 795,000 tonnes, compared to France, at 158,000 tonnes. Due to the maritime climate, the British Isles are well suited to the production of pulse crops, with some unique market opportunities, particularly in the blue pea sector.

A lot of the exploratory supply chain work conducted in the UK is leading the European breeding programme, with Low varieties at the forefront of this. 

The UK is well suited to the production of blue peas.

The addition of the joint highest yielding spring bean variety LG Eagle and combining pea LG Corvet, to the 2024/25 PGRO Descriptive List, demonstrates our continuing commitment to pulses.

Heather Oldfield talks through the characteristics of these exciting varieties.

LG Eagle joins the 24/25 PGRO DL as the joint highest yielding spring bean at 110% yield (as % control). During both Limagrain and DL trials, this extremely high yield potential has been delivered consistently over the last few, very different and challenging seasons, which is an important and valuable attribute for a spring bean – and one that growers look for on farm. However, it’s not just about high yields, this need to be backed up by solid agronomics and traits, and we are delighted that LG Eagle offers all of these. It is one of the earliest varieties on the DL to mature, is not too tall, stands well and offers a good disease package, including rust.

LG Eagle is suitable for human consumption, fish feed and animal protein markets, offering a range of marketing opportunities. Its consistent yields and disease resistance package means it will be taking a big bite into the spring bean acreage by 2026.

Combining Pea LG Corvet joins the DL as a high yielding, (111% of control), early maturing, relatively short variety. Alongside these attributes, LG Corvet also has very good standing ability, which is an important trait for ease of combining and protecting precious yield.

Poor standing ability can often be a barrier to growing peas. LG Corvet offers an exceptional downy mildew resistance rating of 8 – the result of a concerted focus from Limagrain on breeding for resistance against this devastating disease in peas.The variety holds one of the highest dry protein content percentages at 22.2%.

The addition of the joint highest yielding spring bean variety LG Eagle and combining pea LG Corvet to the 2024/25PGRO Descriptive List from Limagrain Field Seeds, demonstrates the breeder’s continuing commitment to pulses.

LG Eagle joins the 2024/25 PGRO Descriptive List as the joint highest yielding spring bean at 110% yield (as % control).

“During both Limagrain and DL trials, this extremely high yield potential has been delivered consistently over the last few very different and challenging seasons which is an important and valuable attribute for a spring bean – and one that growers look for on farm,” says Heather Oldfield, UK cereals and pulses product manager for Limagrain Field Seeds.

“However, it’s not just about high yields, these need to be backed up by solid agronomics and traits, and we are delighted that LG Eagle offers all of these,” she adds.

“It is one of the earliest varieties on the DL to mature, is not too tall, stands well and offers a good disease package including rust.”

LG Eagle is suitable for human consumption, fish feed and animal protein markets offering a range of marketing opportunities.

Heather Oldfield

With limited seed availability for 2025, Heather believes LG Eagle’s consistent yields and disease resistance package mean it will be taking a big bite into the spring bean acreage by 2026.

Combing Pea LG Corvet  joins the DL offering a high yielding, (111% of control), early maturing, relatively short variety.

“Alongside these attributes, LG Corvet also has a very good standing ability, which is an important attribute for ease of combining and protecting precious yield. Poor standing ability can  often be barrier to growing peas,” says Heather.

“LG Corvet offers an exceptional downey mildew resistance rating of 8 – the result of a concerted focus from Limagrain on breeding for resistance against this devastating disease in peas,” she notes.

The variety holds one of the highest dry protein percentages at 22.2%.

To meet the growing demand for pulses, Heather highlights the hard work being done by the Limagrain pulse breeding team to enhance the major traits in their varieties and introduce new ones using routine diagnostic marker assisted selection (MAS).

She explains this is being done at a high-tech facility in the Netherlands which allows the breeders to undertake rapid generation cycling.

“Target traits sought for peas include reliable yields with consistently high protein levels, resistance to lodging, and tolerance and resistance to diseases, the results of which we are seeing in LG Corvet.

“Cold tolerance without damaging the protein percentage is also an important trait for growing in more northerly climates,” adds Heather.

“The new varieties are then put into schemes for extensive testing in both the UK and Europe. Our testing builds a comprehensive data set and highlights which varieties are adapted to multiple environments, so we can identify the best high quality, stable varieties,” she continues, adding that these extended trials also build understanding of optimum drill timings.

“We also continue to work closely with key stakeholders in the marketplace to develop varieties fit for future purpose for UK growers.”

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) and Limagrain Field Seeds are excited to announce a new collaboration for pulse breeding in Saskatchewan, Canada.

This new collaboration has a strong commercial focus and will bring new and additional investment into pea and lentil breeding locally in Saskatchewan, increasing competition, and creating a strong
environment to foster innovation.

Developing new and better performing varieties of peas and lentils is the focus of the breeding collaboration. Farmers’ priorities and greatest production challenges are at the forefront of the breeding program, with major areas of focus including resistance to root disease in peas and lentils, increased protein content, and overall improvements in yield performance under varying conditions.

Breeding will take place in Saskatchewan for the benefit of Saskatchewan producers. “We are excited for this new direction in pulse breeding for farmers in Saskatchewan. It is important to continue fostering innovation and competition in pulse breeding and to bring new perspectives to challenging on-farm issues like root rots and herbicide resistance,” says Shaun Dyrland, Chair of SPG Board of Directors.

“We believe this new collaboration with Limagrain on pulse breeding will allow for targeting grower priorities and ensuring that growers’ direction and voices are at the table helping to drive new varieties.”

The new Limagrain Field Seeds breeding, and research program will be based in Saskatoon, where a dedicated pulse breeding team will be created, bringing new expertise in breeding, pathology, molecular genetics, and field trial evaluation to the region.

This technology driven program will lead to higher performing varieties being made available to producers more quickly by deploying all available technology to both shorten the breeding cycle and accelerate seed production.

Commitment and Collaboration

“Limagrain is very committed to producing plant-based proteins. Saskatchewan is at the heart of global pulse production, so it makes perfect sense for Limagrain Field Seeds to extend its existing cereal breeding research in Saskatoon, and to now include these two pulse crops reinforcing our commitment to Saskatchewan,” remarked Régis Fournier, CEO of Limagrain Field Seeds.

“Collaboration is a core value for Limagrain and partnering with SPG, a fellow farmer-led organization is a crucially important component.”

Both SPG and Limagrain are farmer-led with farmer-based boards of Directors. This is an important pillar to this new collaboration, which was developed around shared values to support and foster profitable growth and opportunities for Saskatchewan farmers.

The collaboration has SPG and Limagrain sharing in upfront investments, with future royalties from the sale of new varieties to be shared. SPG will provide input on breeding priorities and ensure that farmers’ voices, needs, priorities, and challenges are driving the goals of the program every step of the way.

Benefits for European and UK pulse markets

Will Pillinger, pulse breeder for Limagrain UK believes European and UK markets can expect to see the benefits from this incredibly significant pulses breeding collaboration in the near future through combined technology and genetic diversity. “The partnership with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG), has increased our investment in genomic selection and specific trait related genetic markers for peas, beans and lentils.”

“This increased global pulse breeding will have an immediate impact on the ability for Limagrain UK to access accelerated improvements in yield, quality and disease resistance and it should not be too long before we see these attributes on UK farms.”

TO VIEW LIMAGRAIN’S PULSE VARIETIES, CLICK HERE

International cooperation showing positive results for Limagrain UK’s Pulse Breeding Programme

Limagrain’s pulse breeding programme focuses on winter and spring peas and beans. We are a multinational breeding team based in Europe and the UK and target a global pea and bean market.

Pulse breeding is centred in Rilland in the Netherlands, which is on the same line of latitude as London. The programme is spearheaded by pulses breeder Will Pillinger, along with his team consisting of Corrie Dekker (assistant breeder), Jaenet Ter Schure (assistant molecular breeder), Evelien Bakker-Breker (breeding assistant) and Lucie Collins (trials manager).

Major markets targeted include France, Germany and the United Kingdom, but we also breed for other markets within Europe and North America.

The EU Market for peas and beans is worth €10 million and the specific types of peas include green seeded types (€1.8m) for human consumption and yellow peas (€3m) for animal feed.

Field beans (€4.7m) make up roughly 1/3 of our breeding activities across spring and winter types, with our main market being the UK. Key traits for peas and beans are excellent agronomics, yield, quality and protein content.

The other targeted traits we look to develop include; resistance to lodging, Aphanomyces tolerance, tolerance to cold, Downy Mildew and Powdery Mildew and FEBRUARY 2022 GatePost Pea Seed borne Mosaic Virus (PSbMV), maturity and plant architecture.

The core activities for breeding comprise of crossing, early generation selection and seed production. Although we have many breeding targets for peas, there are some specifics for the human consumption market that are key, such as excellent seed colour retention.

When harvested at the right time, peas will retain the blue green appearance. They will quickly lose their colour if not harvested or stored correctly.

In 2021, we entered 15 varieties into National Listing across Europe and the UK. For a small breeding programme, that is a significant number and gives an idea of the potential challenges of being successful in each target market. As a result, the pressure on the seed purification team can be high.

Further developments over the next couple of years will be the ability to measure yield performance of our breeding material during the first year of field assessment. Additionally, the development of techniques to predict the performance of material without testing in specific environments, will help to advance the output of high performance varieties from the pulse breeding programme.

We are excited about the future of pulses and Limagrain have backed the programme with significant investment to further modernise our activities.

After another strong year spring bean LG Raptor moves from its P2 rating to fully join the PGRO DL offering high yields, excellent vigour and agronomics

Excellent yields and the early maturity of spring bean variety: LG Raptor, have delighted Lincolnshire grower, Tim Lamyman. We ask Tim to share his thoughts on the crop and how he achieved these top yields.

Tim Lamyman

Harvested on the 16th September, the crop yielded 7.1 t/ha with a moisture content of 14.5%.

Reflecting on the growing season, Mr. Lamyman says: “We particularly noticed the high number of pods per plant, which was around 30. These pods were consistent in size, and this has obviously translated into yield.”

“We were a bit short of seed, so we planted at 200 kg/ha, rather than the recommended rate of 250 kg/ha.” As a result, there were 28 to 35 plants/m2. He firmly believes he could have pushed the yield further with more seed.

The spring beans follow spring barley in a rotation. “The field chosen for the crop was a south-facing grade 2 chalky Wold clay, which offers the potential for well-structured root systems, enabling easier nutrient uptake – which I believe is key to a high yielding crop.”

Mr. Lamyman believes that well-targeted crop nutrition is critical to success, and follows a strategy aimed at getting the young crop established and away promptly.

“We applied 1 l/ha 1-4-All and 2 l/ha of ToPPit (a liquid fertiliser containing phosphorus, potassium and micro elements) to reduce stress and strengthen the roots, helping the crop get away.”

LG Raptor

Prompt establishment and vigour from his crop nutrition strategy also helped to reduce any susceptibility to downy mildew, he adds.

To keep feeding and increasing biomass, another 2 l/ha application of ToPPit was made at early flowering, with 1 l/ha XStress (used to enhance photosynthesis and growth), and 0.5 l/ha CalFlux (used to help the flowering part of the plant). This was followed at mid to late term with 1 l/ha X-Stress and 1 l/ha CalFlux.”

Calcium is an essential part of the cell structure of new growth, and if a plant is put under environmental stresses at the flowering time, this can lead to almost complete pod abortion – as happened this spring, he says. He uses CalFlux because he finds it penetrates the flowers and remains there for the plant to draw on in stressful times, instead of using the calcium from the new growth.

“This spring, it was an essential requirement for pulse crops to have XStress and CalFlux technology, to get them through the incredibly dry spring we had.”

“We will be growing LG Raptor again in 2021. What we liked most about LG Raptor is its early maturity, which is difficult to find, stiff straw and the first-rate yield.”

Pulses product manager for Limagrain, Tom Barker, believes that LG Raptor gives farmers a new option in spring beans, combining early maturity and high yield.

With its high yield of 105% of control, good early maturity (7), and all-round agronomic package, growers should be excited by LG Raptor. It is suitable for the human consumption market, export and protein markets, and will certainly be a variety to watch out for.

All information is from the PGRO Descriptive List 2021, available at www.pgro.org

The spring bean LG Raptor continues to produce outstanding yields and moves to a P2 rating at 105% over control.