Farmers watch biofuels with interest

 

	H&N photo by Todd E. Swenson Jason Flowers, 24, hopes to plant canola on 10-15 acres of Flowers Farms to test it for the Klamath Basin.

March 8, 2007

Klamath Falls Herald and News

Ty Beaver

Klamath Basin wheat grower Lynn Long sees numerous opportunities in the country's growing demand for biofuels, energy produced from agricultural crops.

But that doesn't mean the pool of opportunity is deep enough for him to dive in.

Long and other Basin farmers are watching the increasing hype of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel with interest. They are, however, waiting for more data on the potentially lucrative market before fully committing.

The data may come as proposed biofuel facilities open in the Basin.

A biodiesel facility is under construction near Lower Klamath Lake Road, and another is proposed for the area. Discussions also are under way to construct an ethanol plant near Klamath Falls.

Growers say they are glad to see interest in biofuels. Long and Tulelake grower Scott Seus said one of the biggest issues is dependence on foreign oil.

“Anything we can do to break that tie, I'm all in favor of,” Seus said.

The biofuels market, from production to marketing to shipping, could provide numerous entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for Basin residents, Long said. And biofuels have an important environmental component, by not contributing to greenhouse gas emissions or putting other toxins into the air, he added.

“That's absolutely a benefit, and we don't want it to pass us by.”

No biofuel crops yet

Yet Long and Seus admit they aren't planning to grow any biofuel-capable crops this season.

Long said he plans to retire within the next 10 years, and he is hesitant to take part in a new market without evidence of its future success.

Seus doesn't see enough economic incentive to grow biofuel crops in his rotation, especially when familiar crops such as wheat are demanding above average prices.

Jason Flowers, a wheat and hay grower on Lower Klamath Lake, said he planned to grow about 10-15 acres of canola for biodiesel production this year, but added the cost may be too restrictive.

Rich Roseberg, an agent with the Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center, said demand for biofuels has positive and negative effects for Basin agriculture.

The demand would add canola for biodiesel to the number of profitable crops in the region. Prices currently are around $250-$300 an acre.

The crop also can fare well in the Basin's short growing season and dry climate. A test crop of canola grown by the center yielded about 2,000 pounds of seed per acre.

Studies have shown that when canola is part of a four- or five-year crop rotation, it acts as an herbicide and can help prevent nematodes that afflict potato crops. Biofuel crops also are carbon neutral, putting no more carbon into the atmosphere than they take out.

However, canola is related to wild mustard, a pest that can afflict hay and alfalfa fields. Roseberg said there isn't any evidence of it spreading, but it could have that capability.

Ethanol production using corn is already causing problems, Roseberg added, driving up prices that are hurting the livestock industry. More growers also could choose to shift their interest to energy rather than food production, affecting the food market.

A researcher with Oregon State University brought up other problems with biofuels.

According to his findings, William Jaeger said for Oregon to become energy independent through biofuels would require an ethanol plant generating 100 million gallons of fuel a year, requiring 206,000 acres of corn and the disposal of dried distillers grain to feed 182,000 head of cattle. Oregon has 29,000 acres of arable land and 90,000 head of cattle.

Research continues

Research on biofuels is ongoing and could lead to breakthroughs that make it more profitable, efficient or both.

“It's always good to be cautious but also look at the facts and what might be coming,” Roseberg said.

That's the perspective Long, Seus and others in their field are taking. Long said he hasn't heard any negative comments on biofuels, just caution that comes with experience.

He said he'd be more than willing to grow canola as he knows it will work in the Basin, and expects the biofuel industry to be pioneered by the younger generation of farmers.

Seus said biofuel is worth investigating, but its potential for the future also needs to be weighed.

“I'm by no means saying we shouldn't be doing what we're doing, but we need to have cautious optimism,” he said.