Agriculture
OSU experts discuss sweet sorghum use in ethanol
Written by Dick Pryor Wednesday, 21 October 2009 23:38
CHICKASHA, Okla. (AP) - Researchers at Oklahoma State University say sweet sorghum grown in the state could someday be a cash crop for agriculture producers. Division scientists and engineers from OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources spoke on Wednesday about the potential of sweet sorghum, switchgrass and other crops that could be used in the making of ethanol and grown by Oklahoma farmers.
Danielle Bellmer, a food process engineer at OSU, says not much sweet sorghum is grown now in Oklahoma because there hasn't been much need for it. But she says there is growing demand for ethanol production from sources other than corn. She says there is potential for farmers to process the plant and make ethanol on their own land, although the technology to do so remains in development.
SW Okla cotton coming in
Written by Dick Pryor Monday, 12 October 2009 22:27
FREDERICK, Okla. (AP) - The southwestern Oklahoma cotton crop has started to come in, and growers are expecting an average year. David Lingle, manager of the Tillman Producers Cooperative cotton gin, says cotton farmers could be harvesting a bumper crop. But a dry spell during the summer hurt, as did cool temperatures and rain late in the season. Most of the cotton that's brought to Lingle's gin is from land that's not irrigated, thus the long summer stretch without rain is more significant. The first cotton arrived at Lingle's gin last week. Most growers in the region are starting to defoliate their cotton now.
Rains stall winter wheat seeding in Great Plains
Written by Dick Pryor Tuesday, 22 September 2009 16:47
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Widespread rain across parts of the Great Plains is keeping farmers from planting winter wheat and harvesting other fall crops. A report released Monday by the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported wheat seeding is lagging in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Kansas farmers have planted 9 percent of their 2010 winter wheat. Seventeen percent has normally been planted in the state by this time. Seventeen percent is seeded in Oklahoma compared to the normal 25 percent. But winter wheat planting is only slightly behind the five-year average when the 18 top wheat-producing states are factored in. Texas farmers have 32 percent of their wheat fields seeded; Nebraska has 56 percent planted. South Dakota growers have half their wheat acreage seeded.
Henry requests disaster assistance for farmers
Written by Dick Pryor Tuesday, 21 July 2009 19:20
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry is asking U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak to issue a federal disaster declaration for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers. In a letter to Vilsak the governor asks that the Farm Service Agency complete damage assessment reports on all Oklahoma counties. Henry says ongoing drought combined with floods, hail, fire, high winds and freezing temperatures caused serious damage and losses to the agriculture and ranching industries.
The request covers a period from Sept. 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009. If the disaster declaration is approved, Oklahoma farmers and ranchers will be eligible for low-interest loans to address losses caused by the extreme weather conditions.