Why are dried bean prices near a 5-year high?

The short answer

• Retail dried bean prices stand at $1.67 per pound in September 2026 as modest price relief from the arriving autumn harvest is tempered by sharp nationwide acreage cutbacks and drought in the Northern Plains. [1] [2]
• Although retail prices have dropped from their April 2026 peak of $1.71, they remain 2.5% above year-ago levels because of tighter domestic stocks following significant contractions in pinto and black bean plantings. [2] [3] [4]

What's driving the price

Macro factors: supply, weather, disease, energy

• Mexican drought and export demand spike (Nov 2023 to Jul 2024): A multi-year drought reduced Mexico's 2023/24 bean production by 38% to a record-low 603,357 metric tons according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, triggering a 230% increase in Mexican imports that pulled massive supplies of U.S. pinto and black beans across the border, pushed USDA average farm prices received to $49.50 per hundredweight in May 2024, and drove U.S. retail prices up from $1.57 to $1.71 per pound. [pushed prices up] [3] [5] [6]
• Bumper harvest yields and Mexican production rebound (Jul 2024 to Aug 2025): U.S. dry bean production expanded to 31.3 million hundredweight in 2024 on 1.53 million planted acres, while USDA NASS forecast record 2025 yields averaging 2,203 pounds per acre across Michigan, North Dakota, and Nebraska; simultaneously, Mexico's bean crop rebounded 41% to 1.01 million metric tons, which curtailed export demand, brought grower prices down toward $30.00 to $32.00 per hundredweight, and drove retail prices down from $1.71 to $1.55 per pound. [pushed prices down] [5] [7] [8] [9]
• Acreage reductions and Northern Plains drought (Aug 2025 to Apr 2026): Lower grower bids in 2025 led U.S. farmers to reduce planted area by more than 20% for pinto and black beans heading into 2026, while the U.S. Drought Monitor reported moderate-to-severe drought across over 60% of North Dakota, constricting commercial bean inventories and driving retail prices up 10.2% from $1.55 to $1.71 per pound. [pushed prices up] [2] [3]

Retail, brand and seasonal factors

• Seasonal harvest arrival pressure (Apr 2026 to Sep 2026): Retail prices softened from the April 2026 peak of $1.71 to $1.67 per pound as early harvest operations in the upper Midwest and Plains delivered new-crop pulses to packaging facilities, partially easing spring inventory tightness. [pushed prices down] [2] [10]

Supply chain right now

• Raw materials & farming (moderate): Planted pulse acreage dropped sharply in 2026 while drought across the Northern Plains has constrained yields, keeping grower bids substantially higher than late-2025 levels. [1] [2]

Researched 2026-10-18 with Google Search. Every point links to its sources; unsourced claims were removed.

Dried beans prices, last 12 months

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data, series APU0000714233.

Sources

1. Vegetables and Pulses - Market Outlook | Economic Research Service (ers.usda.gov)
2. Dry Bean Market 2026: Harvest Update on US Supply, Prices, and Mexico (fgarciafoodexport.com)
3. Beans in the Americas 2025 / Mexican stocks peak, US crops drop, and South America challenges the status quo - Pulse Pod - Pulses Market News (pulsepod.globalpulses.com)
4. Bean Supply Tightens as Production Falls Across Major Growers | (ansmediagroup.com)
5. ycharts.com (ycharts.com)
6. apps.fas.usda.gov (apps.fas.usda.gov)
7. ers.usda.gov (ers.usda.gov)
8. Dry Edible Bean Profile (agmrc.org)
9. producer.com (producer.com)
10. Farmer’s Report – Dry Commodity (usfoods.com)

More in Groceries

• Why are bread prices holding steady?
• Why are whole wheat bread prices up 8% from a year ago?
• Why are flour prices holding steady?
• Why are rice prices up 5% from a year ago?
• Why are pasta prices up 14% from a year ago?
• Why are cookie prices near a 5-year high?