New York State has a rich agricultural history, including the farming of dried beans. In fact, the US dry bean industry began in Western, NY in the mid-nineteenth century. Western NY remained the center of domestic dried bean production for many years, reaching 500,000 bushels by the 1890s.

Over the last decade there has been a renaissance of family farming across NYS, including the growing of dried beans. At the forefront of this movement is Peter Martens of Seneca Grain & Bean. Peter & Hannah Martens Farm grows a variety of organic dried beans, as well as a variety of organic grains. Their mill is certified organic with NOFA-NY and they exclusively handle organic grains.