CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming's agriculture industry is looking at the oilseed crops camelina, canola and sunflowers as part of an effort to diversify farming and produce the seed stock for biofuel.
Researchers are testing Wyoming's ability to grow oilseed crops, which are already getting attention in nearby states such as Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Oil made from the crops can be useful as biofuel, cooking oil and in products such as natural deodorizers and lubricants.
"Our development with oilseeds, compared to all of our western neighbors out here that border Wyoming, we're significantly behind where they're at," said Donn Randall, of the Wyoming Business Council's Agribusiness Division. "But that may not be all bad. We'll let everybody else make mistakes."
Farmers became interested in oilseed crops as an alternative fuel when gas prices were high but are now looking at them as way to create a new market for Wyoming producers and economic development in rural communities, Randall said. They also are interested in using oilseeds as rotational crops because studies have shown wheat grows better when rotated with oilseeds, he said.
Thirteen producers have planted about 1,500 acres of test crops around Wyoming. The farmers are reimbursed for the cost of growing the crops in return for keeping production records.
"There are some good things that have happened with test plots, and there are some real wrecks, but that's part of the learning," Randall said.
A Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grant also paid for Randall and a handful of farmers to visit oilseed producers, processing facilities and researchers in neighboring states.
"We had the opportunity to learn in four days what has taken about four years for producers and businesses in Washington to understand," Randall said. "They've really pioneered the way in this industry."
Meanwhile, the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service in Gillette purchased an oilseed press to use for demonstrations and research. The press separates oil from the crushed seeds, leaving behind meal, which can be used as livestock feed.
Lindsay Taylor, the extension educator in Gillette, said the press has been mounted on a trailer to do demonstrations around the state.
"We talk about oilseed crops and talk about what can be done with the meal," Taylor said. "But if you don't show people how the process works, you're missing a big step, and that seemed to be the biggest holdup we had with a lot of people."
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