Well, I can testify that while soys are really quite tasty, nothing in the world beats good old table beans! Yum!
Yes, I do sometimes open a can of Bush's in a pinch, but I still prefer to cook my own beans. If you can get navy's, great northerns or other beans to grow where you are in Iowa, good luck. If they grow in Minn and Mich, I don't see why Iowa would be unfavorable.
Personally, I'd like to see some custom harvesters and farmers coordinate in an effort to get varieties of edible beans and rice in bulk, down here to Oklahoma. Maybe I could resell some locally, being of better quality and fresher than those in some stores. I would not mind paying the inflated store prices [typically .60 to .70/lb] if the farmer only got at least half of that! Yes, I prefer buying my beans in 25 to 50-lb bags if I can, and enough stock to last the fiscal year.
Too bad brown rice is sooo hard to find around here for for a reasonable price, let alone, bulk.