The Idaho Bean Commission has been very active taking advantage of something that commission Chairman Bill Bitzenburg calls "a small niche market". ?The niche, in this case, is the opportunity to sell Idaho's unique, disease-free certified bean seed to growers throughout Mexico.?Idaho has an arid, desert climate which makes a major contribution to growing disease-free seed. Further, Idaho bean seed outperforms Mexican beans.? The commission has focused on promoting Idaho grown seed to dry-bean growers in Mexico for over 10 years. Ron Metzger, the Idaho Manager for Kelly Bean Company and a member of the Bean Commission, just got back from a trade show in Mexico where 50,000 people visited. “It’s the largest agricultural show in Mexico. It’s put on annually”

 His sales message was one of great pride. (Metzger) “We have the very best seed in the world grown here in Idaho. We produce 60% of the seed grown in the U.S.

Most all of the other states, Michigan, North Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, all have their seed production out here in Idaho and take their seed back to those states for commercial planting. So Idaho’s really good at producing seed. That’s what we do better than anybody else.”