2009 Biofuels Field Day
Welcome to SUNUP. I'm Clinton Griffiths. Biofuels and ethanol continue to fill conversations around the discussion of renewable energy. As producers recently learned at the biofuels field day in Chickasha, Oklahoma, progress is being made and new facilities are coming online. The sorghum stood at the ready but the clouds couldn't wait. Rain drenched the second annual biofuels day at the Southcentral Research Station. In spite of the wet weather, interested people from across the state poured into the barn to stay dry and catch the latest information on what might look like a slow but growing biofuels industry in Oklahoma.

The downturned economy has pulled a lot of money off the market in terms of establishing the cellulosic ethanol plants. Some are proceeding and just this week, Coskata, the company that was formed around our technology here in Oklahoma, with Oklahoma State University and University of Oklahoma, has unveiled their precommercial facility and they anticipate a commercial facility in southeastern United States by 2012.

Across the furrow, research and technology to create ethanol from sweet sorghum is still pushing forward. And a quick look was available for demonstration in between down pours.

A field day like this allows people to come in, whether it be an ag producer or the general public, and get a better idea as to where we are within the industry or establishing the industry and how they may participate when the industry comes about.

Growing Biofuels Crops
So we can see the potential of sweet sorghum as an ethanol crop. But to talk about production, Chad Godsey is here. Chad, how are you doing? How does this differ from the grain sorghums they typically grow?

Actually, sweet sorghums are similar to the grain sorghums and forage sorghums, which we've grown for decades in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of experience growing sweet sorghums in Oklahoma. Historically they've been grown in the southeast part of the U.S. mainly for syrup and sweeteners and things of that nature.

They seem to like the climate. We certainly have a good stand going here.

It does. Any sorghum can tolerate heat and moisture stress. In June or July these went through a two or three week period without moisture and they recovered well and look good.

The key here is the juice, getting enough out of that biomass. How do we maximize that?

Over the last couple of years we saw anything we can do to increase biomass will increase juice extraction. The correlation between biomass and juice extraction is almost on a one to one basis. Anything we can do to increase biomass will get us more juice. We can narrow the row spacing. When we first started doing sweet sorghum research two or three years ago, we were planning on 30-inch centers, and we have seen this year going down to 15 and even 7-1/2 inch rows that we increase our by on mass quite drastically, going to narrower rows.

Absolutely. So then let's talk about this as a rotation al crop. What is the season for the sweet sorghums?

That's an excellent point. That's one of the biggest benefit of sweet sorghums if we can get a market developed in Oklahoma is the rotational potential of the crop. It gives producers another option for summer crop. It's well adapted to Oklahoma, so it gives producers another option and it's very competitive. You know, not a lot of weed management is needed for the crop. It grows 12 foot tall. Not a lot of weed competition. A lot of positives.

Any special equipment for planting?

No. Actually, one of the benefits of the narrow rows is that most producers can use their grain drills and most Oklahoma producers have grain drills. That's another benefit of the narrow row spacing is using equipment that we already have.

Thank you for your time today, Chad.

Thank you.

Manure Testing
Last week we told you about some of the research and benefits of using animal waste as a primary source of fertilizer. Today we continue that discussion with a look at the process and importance of testing that manure before applying it.

Animal manure is a great way to improve soil quality. But, if mismanaged, it can be harmful to the water system. We have Hailin Zhang here at Oklahoma State University to walk us through some of the analysis of the samples. Hailin, tell us about what you have here.

We have a well-equipped soil testing lab and five years ago we added animal waste analysis to provide a service to livestock and poultry producers in the state because they need to know the nutrient content of animal waste before they an apply it as their source to improve soil quality as you just mentioned. I'm going to just quickly go over some of the steps we analyze manure here in the lab. First of all, we receive sample like this from producers. This is poultry litter, okay? Feces and litter material. After we receive them we process them before we analyze them. The processing is fairly simple. We use a coffee grinder. The first test we do is to weigh a small amount of sample putting a tube like this and then we add an acid to digest, to dissolve all the nutrients into solution. The digesting is done right here in the fume hood so basically this is a block digester. We add water and acid into these samples and we let it cook.

How long does that usually take?

Two hours. After it is all digested, you should not see any solid there. It's all dissolved. So nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium should be in the solution. From here we take this to another lab.

Can we take a look at that right now?

Yes, let's go over to the other lab.

So what happens now?

Well, now the sample is already digested as we saw earlier. We transfer the digest to a small tube like this. This is a sample tube and it will be run on this instrument and this instrument analyzes what's in the digest. When we get all the results, we'll put them together as a report. Producers will have this report for their calculation, how much they can apply per acre to meet their proper climate.

What do producers need to send you?

The producers need to get us representative samples. If they don't send representative sample, no matter what we do here, the results may be biased.

Thank you so much, and this is very interesting and helpful to the state of Oklahoma.

Cow-Calf Corner
Last week on the cow-calf corner we visited with you about the grades. The USDA grades for cull cows and noted the differences we found in the grades which is generally the fatness of the cows. The other main factor that impacts the price per pound is the dressing percent. Within each one of those grades cows will be in different amounts of dressing percent at sale time. What do we mean by dressing percent? That is the percentage that the carcass will weigh compared to the live weight that was purchased at sale time. Now, the factors that go into making such a difference in dressing percent are obviously, such things as how full the cow is, is she full of feed and water and is that apparent as she goes through the sale ring. Another factor is the size of the udder. That affects live weight, but also affects carcass weight and affects dressing percentage. Mud can also factor in. As you look at the prices listed for cull cows, you'll find there is quite a range in terms of dressing percent within each one of those USDA grades we mentioned last week. For leans last week, the low dressing percent cows, those that have a large live weight compared to the carcass weight, they were about $10, a hundred weight less than what they considered high dressing percent cows, and then the average was halfway in the middle. As you're marketing cows, think about this putting extra water and fill into these cows can actually end up costing you money and result in a lower price per pound and, therefore, less total dollars from your cull cows. Keep this idea of dressing percent in mind as you market cull cows this fall and winter. We'll visit with you again on SUNUP's Cow-Calf Corner.

Market Monitor
Corn and soybean yields and quality are deteriorating and wheat prices fell 50 percent this week. Here to talk about these and other issues is OSU agricultural economist Kim Anderson. Kim, let's start with the recent reports on corn and soybeans. How are the markets reacting to that?

We talked about that last week and said the corn and bean prices were moving up last week because the index was buying. The wet weather having an impact on prices. I think we're starting to see that impact on prices. I'm reading the analyst reports, and late this week they started getting concerned about it. It just continues to rain and have wet weather in those areas. One report said it's the wettest October since I think 1895, something like that, wettest in 100 years. They're talking about the corn yields are going -- and quality are deteriorating. Plus the elevators have limited capacity for drying, so they're having to restrict how fast that comes in. There is a lot happening there and I think it's having a positive impact on corn and soybean prices.

This week wheat prices fell 50 cents and an increase later in the week. Are the prices following the corn and soybeans in the market?

I think to a certain degree they are following, but the wheat market is starting to get concerned about the planting of hard winter wheat. They're slightly behind normal and it's looking wet for the next week and as you plant late, it's reducing yield. With soft red winter wheat, it's really bad because they can't harvest the soybeans to come back behind them with soft red winter wheat. Plus, producers were already planning on planting less soft red winter wheat acres. I think that's weighing on it. As corn prices go up, that makes wheat more economical for feed and I think that helps our price some, too.

So what are your wheat price expectations?

That's a tough question. I think we're going to hold this $5.50, between $5.00 and $5.50. The range from $4.60 to $5.50. If we break the $5.50, we'll go to $6.00. I don't think that will happen unless it dries out and we can get those crops into the ground.

Thank you, Kim, for being with us. We hope it dries out and producers can get back to work.

Shop Stop
Welcome to Shop Stop. The nights are getting colder and maybe we should be thinking about the coolant or antifreeze level in our vehicles. We have a small tractor here and we're going to check that our concentration in the cooling system is adequate.

The first thing you want to do before you open your system is make sure it's safe to open. Put your hand on it, hold it on there, make sure you can hold your hand there for a minute or two that it's not so hot it blows hot water at you. If it's hot, do want just keep holding your hand there. Be smart about t open the lid.

Got a standard, little antifreeze tester you can find at your local hardware store. We're going to pull a little of this up in here and make sure we've got enough to float our gauge. We look at the dial and we're at about minus 10 degrees. So, we're probably all right on this tractor for a few more days.

What would we do if it's at 32 degrees? You can add antifreeze. Make sure you are using the correct antifreeze for the vehicle that you are using. Or, just bring it back up to level with water. The easy thing to do is stick the water hose in but if you want to keep the right ph then we need to use distilled water. There are some pretty easy ways to check that. You can go to the local hardware store and pick up test strips.

The test strips are pretty easy to use. Just follow the directions on the package. This particular strip you just dip in briefly and then flip it and then you can see that we've got a color change. The lower one is an indicator of our ethlene glycol level and the other is the ph. This tells us it's about a 10 on the ph scale which is not acidic. It also tells us that we ought to change the coolant and we ought to change it every two years. Randy can explain a little bit about why you should do the coolant change.

The reason you want to change your coolant regularly is to make sure the additives in the coolant are working correctly. Those are the things that tend to break down. If we are on the basic end of the chart then it's time to change it. If we get on the acidic end of the chart then we've probably got a problem somewhere and we can run into some corrosion in our system and we need to have that checked out. That's it to for Shop Stop today.

AGWEATHER
Hi. I'm Al Sutherland with your Mesonet AGWEATHER report. Each year on October 1 we start a new water year in Oklahoma, and even though it's only been a short period of time, we wanted to go back and check in and see where we're at so far. The dark blue color on our first map shows we're close to twice what we would normally receive in the first three weeks of October and you can see that in the eastern part of the state and on up into the panhandle. Our map of the 10-inch soil moisture across the state shows a lot of dark green, and that's really good moisture. It's only in those brown areas near Hollis, Guymon and the area between Buffalo and Alva that are short of moisture. On October 26 and 27 we had light frost in the western third of the state, and you can see the maximum number of hours was in Guymon with seven hours below 32 degrees. The coldest temp near Mangum, near 27 degrees. Here's Cindy Morgan.

Frost and light freezes can happen on the nights where winds are calm and nights are clear. Air is actually a very good insulator and on these types of nights the ground and other objects such as car windows cool much faster than the air around them. If the air is moist and the temperature of the objects drop below freezing, then the water in the air, which is a gas, turns directly into ice and freezes to the objects forming frost. Taking another look at how temperature varies on clear, calm nights, let's look at an example Mesonet station. On a given morning, the air temperature 5 feet above the ground might read 35 degrees, which is just above freezing. This is the temperature that is reported on the mesonet map. At the same time the temperature of the ground could be as low as 30 degrees. Under these conditions the ground would be covered with frost if the air was moist. Even more impressive is that under very calm conditions the temperature 30 feet up at the top of the mesonet tower could be as much as 50 degrees. That's all we have for this week's Mesonet AGWEATHER report. We look forward to seeing you again next week.

Reducing Swine Emissions Through Diet
The modern swine industry is concerned about nutrient excretions and gaseous emissions. Here are Oklahoma State, Scott you guys have been working on some feed rations and feed ratios to kind of help with that. Explain your research.

Well Clinton, our research is focused on what we can do as far as a diet or dietary changes that we can employ that can reduce nitrogen, phosphorus excretion from swine facilities, as well as possibly reducing gaseous emissions such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and some of the greenhouse gases.

How are you guys going about doing that?


We look at the diet as maybe the first line of defense against excretion and emission because what we feed the pig will ultimately lead to the excretions, gaseous emissions and so forth. If we can improve the digestability of the diet or how well the pig utilizes the phosphorous or nitrogen content of the diet then we can have a better understanding of dietary changes that can be employed to reduce those. We concentrated on looking at the protein fraction of the diet, which contains nitrogen and phosphorous, because those are the nutrients most concerned when we think about land application of manure for fertilizer value and so forth. We look at that and as far as we don't probably need to go into all of the emphasis on greenhouse gases. We all know that. Ammonia emissions from facilities, hydrogen sulfide and other emissions are becoming more of a concern. Our research is focused on what we can do from a dietary standpoint to influence or impact excretions and emissions.

I guess by going in and changing the ratios of proteins and that kind of thing, you guys can see a difference?

From a protein standpoint we can go into the diet and reduce the total protein content of the diet, which reduces total nitrogen in the diet, supplement that and replace that with specific amino acid additions which are commercially available and by doing so we reduce the amount of nitrogen entering the pig and, thus, we can reduce the amount of nitrogen the pig excretes. We've done that without affecting performance or carcass value. It's a win-win situation as long as you factor in the cost of the amino acids that replacement value. You can do that and not hurt performance. We found upwards of a 40 percent reduction in nitrogen excretion.

Any other elements you've been able to reduce?

Phosphorous is another concern. Phosphorus for monogastrics, that would be poultry, swine and so forth. Most of what we feed is excreted, because swine like poultry and humans lack the enzyme necessary to digest phosphorous and cereal grains and so forth. Today we have the enzyme available as a feed additive. If we include that in the diet that reduces excretions by 35, 40 percent. Allows us to feed lower levels of dietary phosphorus in the diet, reduces excretion, doesn't impact the pig as far as performance or carcass value at all. It's widely used by the industry. We're trying to put a specific value number on the amount of excretion we can expect.

The key thing is you guys are using commercially available grains and feed and additives.

Those are commercially available. There are no secrets or anything. Producers can use those today to not only reduce excretion but the possibility of emissions of those gases.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Small Meat Processors Becoming Big Business

The local butcher or meat processor isn't as common as it was years ago. Refrigeration and other modern technology altered the way we buy meats. But industry experts believe there are changes coming that could make being a small processor much bigger business.

You could call it a passion, a dream or even a goal. That's what having his own business means to Keith Schneberger today. But the life of a butcher wasn't something he planned to have as a career.

I had no interest in processing meat at all when I was in high school. Until I went to school at OSU and started working in FAPC, I found it I guess. Found my calling.

Even before he graduated he began working toward owning his own butcher shop in Burns Flat, Oklahoma.

From the time we started dirt work to the time we killed the first beef it took us about 10 months to get everything set up. This is the big hanging cooler where we do all of our aging.

Only a year and half into operation, Keith's has five employees and business is good.

So far it's working. We've been staying busy. I think it's going to be a promising future.

And there are at least two movements working on the side of the small processor. The first has to do with inspection regulations and the interstate travel of meat.

If I'm a state level inspected facility I can only sell my products within the borders of Oklahoma. A lot of processors feel that because that state level inspection is required to meet the standards of the federal inspection or exceed those standards then that should open the doors for them to be able to deliver the products outside of those borders.

The states have been working hard on trying to create small processing facilities and the opportunity for them to be able to sell meat across interstate borders.

Even the secretary of agriculture is weighing in.

That's the beginning of a process or recognizing that we need to be concerned about food safety. At the same time we need to be flexible relative to the size of the operation.

With internet sales, online purchasing and shopping, with fedex ups and couriers that can deliver things overnight, there might be a bigger impact today than there was 10 to 20 years ago.

While producers wait for the final cut of that legislation, another movement is squeezing its way into the country's consciousness.

There is this movement for consumers to try to understand where their food comes from how it got to them and what was involved in the process.

The USDA recently announced it's know your farmer know your food initiative aimed at connecting local producers with local consumers. The goal is to stimulate rural economies, improve access to locally grown foods and decrease the cost and resources used in transporting that food. Initiatives that have already been promised $65 million in funding. Helping business owners like Keith, keep the coolers on, his hands busy, and jobs in Burns Flat.