There’s a different type of black gold in Big Horn Basin fields — black beans.

Increased production costs, coupled with decreased commodity values, have some farmers seeking alternative crops to keep their finances out of the red and solidly in the black.

Just as the price of oil dropped, farm earnings in Wyoming also took a dive from $391 million for the fourth quarter of 2014 to $100 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, according to Wyoming’s Economic Analysis Division.

The price for pintos and black beans vary by region, time of year, supply on hand and demand — but black beans’ price tends to be higher than pinto beans. On Friday, pintos were selling around $21-$24 per hundredweight and black beans were going for $24, said Lynn Preator, owner of Preator Bean Company in Burlington and a member of the Wyoming Bean Commission.

Those few extra dollars add up and could be a much-needed boost for farmers facing tough times, but it is a bit of a gamble.

“The black bean market is more volatile. It is a smaller market, and if too many plant (black beans), it can create an over supply and drive the price down,” Preator said. “But in the last few years, blacks have had a stronger market than pintos.”

Black beans have been grown in the Big Horn Basin for decades, but were pretty rare until they started gaining popularity in recent years.

Pintos are still the most common bean in the area, but there are more black beans being grown than in previous years, Preator said.

Powell farmer Delfino Juarez has been growing black beans for three years at his farm just south of town.

“They have a better price, and the pinto beans it is a little less,” Juarez said.

Powell farmer Lyle Bjornestad speculated the interest in black beans is price-driven, with black beans bringing in more of a profit.

“There are a number of people growing them and liking them,” Bjornestad said. “I don’t see it being a major deal — it is hard to replace the old pintos.”

Mexico imports black beans from wherever they can be bought cheapest, sometimes it’s America and sometimes it’s China — it all depends on how American dollars, Mexican pesos and Chinese yuans compare, Preator said.

“It depends on the year, some years when I offer a contract the grower will get a few more dollars for black (beans),” Preator said. 

Black beans are the fifth-most popular bean in America per capita use, according to the U.S. Dry Bean Council. Pinto beans remain the top bean both in national consumption and in local production. 

“To me, it (black beans) is just they are a better choice,” Juarez said. “It is what you like — (for) some people it makes a difference in planting. Some people are used to pinto beans; I like those too.”  

According to the USDA, the yield for black beans can be higher than pinto beans, depending on the region. In Idaho there was enough of both varieties grown to compile statistics on yields. Black beans surpassed pintos on yields in 2013, with 2,590 pounds of pintos grown per acre compared to 2,930 pounds per acre for black beans.

For Juarez, some harvest yields were higher and some were a bit lower, but his fields brought in about 2,500-2,700 pounds per acre, he said.

“From what I understand, is the seed companies are contracting for more black beans,” said Wyoming Seed Certification Manager Mike Moore. “The main thing I would offer is, pinto prices are low and that may be driving the shift.”

Nationally, it was a bit more of a tossup for black beans versus pintos. In 2012, pintos outperformed black beans in yields, then the role reversed in 2013, according to the USDA. For both years, the difference in average per acre yield was minimal — a difference of just 3 pounds per acre in 2013.

In Wyoming, pinto beans averaged 2,300 pounds per acre in 2013 and 2,150 pounds in 2014, according to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. The department also listed numbers for great northern and navy beans. All others, black beans included, were categorized as “other,” and yields were 3,500 pounds per acre in 2013 and 2,000 pounds per acre in 2014.

Big Horn Basin farmers growing black beans need to be more cautious about irrigation, since black beans dry out pretty fast, Juarez said.

Black beans also take about seven to 10 days longer to grow than pintos.

“But that just depends on the seeds,” Juarez said.