Scottsbluff, Nebraska
September 10, 2004
Early Panhandle settlers had high
hopes of re-creating the lush fields of corn and wheat that
already blanketed lower and wetter elevations to the east. Some
even believed abundant rains would follow the plow onto the High
Plains.
Today, David Baltensperger takes a
more realistic view. The University
of Nebraska crop breeder works to identify, study and
introduce new, higher-value crops for the Panhandle. He sees the
region's semi-arid climate as both a challenge and an
opportunity to build an agricultural economy based on a range of
alternative crops.
Modern Panhandle mainstays such as
sugar beets, sunflowers and proso millet, and emerging crops
such as chicory began as ideas. Research by the university's
Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources scientists helped
make them realities.
There's no guarantee a crop that
grows well elsewhere will thrive here. To find out, Panhandle
Research and Extension Center researchers study everything from
how different varieties perform to whether a potential newcomer
fends off local insects and diseases, as well as their market
potential. Findings help growers learn to plant, manage and
harvest new crops.
"Some people wonder why we bother
with testing so many types of crops," Baltensperger said. "I
tell them that soybeans were once an alternative crop."
Alternative crops like turfgrass
actually grow better in the Panhandle than in other areas
because the region's low humidity restricts growth of turf
diseases, he said.
Grasses for lawns and golf courses
are among "leisure crops" that compete for consumer
entertainment dollars. They represent a growing chunk of
Panhandle alternative crop acres.
Another leisure crop, bird seed --
including proso and foxtail millet, sunflower, sorghum and
safflower -- is the region's third largest acreage crop behind
wheat and corn.
Like sunflower, proso millet has
grown into an important regional commodity. The Panhandle grows
200,000 acres of proso annually. IANR scientists developed
varieties well-suited to the region and research laid the
groundwork for expanded birdseed production.
The food industry is another
potential market for new crops. Researchers are testing growing
conditions and marketability of crops such as canola, sunflower
and safflower for cooking or salad oils, and legumes such as
chickpeas and garbanzo beans.
Another use for some alternative
crops -- biofuels -- offers tremendous potential.
Panhandle scientists are studying
the potential of brown mustard and canola in making biodiesel.
This environmentally friendly fuel alternative blends well with
petroleum-based diesel and one day may even replace it.
"There is a huge market for
biodiesel that doesn't leave an excess of product,"
Baltensperger said. "It has the greatest potential for economic
impact of any alternative crop."
Canola has performed well in the
Panhandle, but before the promise of biodiesel, there was little
or no local demand. Brown mustard's huge biodiesel potential has
generated lots of interest, but researchers are still studying
how best to grow it locally.
Like Baltensperger, Leon Kriesel
of Kriesel Certified Seed in Cheyenne County is excited about
the future of alternative crops, but cautions producers to be
aware of the learning curve.
"Everybody is looking for the
silver bullet crop," said Kriesel, whose company produces seed
for crops such as winter wheat, proso millet, spring oats and
barley. "There are a lot of exciting alternatives, but you need
to develop the marketing first. It's purely economics."
Kriesel said IANR research is key
to developing successful new crops.
"A lot of people don't see the
workings of the university behind the eventual product," he
said. "The university helps shoulder the risk (and) explore if
these things work, if they are economically viable."
Baltensperger will present some of
his alternative crops research findings at a new crops
conference in Australia Sept. 21-25.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education,
USDA's North Central Regional Canola Programs, the Nebraska
Department of Agriculture Value-Added Program and the Anna
Elliott Fund help fund this research.
By David Ochsner
IANR News Service
Niche crops may
become more important
The diverse nature of alternative
crops may keep more people farming and more businesses open in
rural communities.
That notion drives Crop Breeder
David Baltensperger. The University of Nebraska scientist and
extension specialist thinks alternative, or niche crops, will be
increasingly important to the region. While each niche crop
probably would grow on limited acres, they each would target
specialty markets with higher per acre income potential.
"We talk about a portfolio of
crops that can benefit smaller operators," Baltensperger said.
"You have to spend more time selling the product yourself, but
niche crops carry a premium for doing that legwork."
For larger farmers, alternative
crops provide extra income and diversification to spread risks.
For small producers, they offer opportunities for higher incomes
using limited land and water.
Alternative crops are especially
appealing to part-time growers who supplement their income with
another job, Baltensperger said.
"The niche markets give them the
option of working more hours on their own land rather than in a
second job," the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
researcher said.
A more diverse crop mix also helps
reduce chemical costs by helping break weed and insect cycles
through crop rotation.
Because alternative crops offer
more intensive and diverse uses for land, a potential result
could be more small producers, Baltensperger said.
"One of our goals is to keep
people on the land in rural Nebraska," he said of the
university's alternative crops research. "If we can produce
higher-value commodities, then there will be more opportunities
for those
(businesses) in the rural communities that support the
production of those crops."
The stories appear in the
current issue of Research Nebraska magazine, which is published
twice annually by the Agricultural Research Division in the
University of Nebraska's Institute of Agriculture and Natural
Resources. |