Altus — Farmers interested in growing a new crop, winter canola, are invited to attend production meetings Thursday, Aug. 4, at Altus, Ok., and Friday, Aug. 5, at Hobart, Ok.

Both meetings will begin at 10 a.m. The Altus meeting will be held at the Southwest Technology Center, 711 W. Tamarack. The Hobart meeting will be held at the Western Technology Center Hobart campus, 1000 S. Bailey, according to Gene Neuens, field representative, Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Oklahoma City.

Winter canola was originally developed by Oklahoma State Universty and Kansas State University as an alternative crop to be rotated with winter wheat to reduce persistent weeds growing in continuously-grown wheat in the Southern Plains. It is a winter crop like winter wheat that can be planted and harvested with the same equipment used in wheat farming.

When rotated with winter wheat, winter canola, an oilseed crop, disrupts the growth of weeds like cheatgrass and wild oats. The presence of the seed from these weeds in harvested winter wheat sold at grain terminals sharply reduces the price paid to farmers.

More than 85,000 acres of winter canola were grown in Kansas, Oklahonma and North Texas in 2009-10. It is estimated more than 200,000 acres of the new crop will be planted this fall in the same area. Winter canola seed has a high oil content and it is processed at the Producers Cooperative Oil Mill to make lowfat cooking oil and biofuel. Growers contracts are now available by contacting Neuens at PCOM at 405-232-7555. Neuen's email address is cscneuens@yahoo.com. Interested producers can also contact Brandon Winters at PCOM. Winters' email address is bwinters@producerscoop.net; PCOM how has a fulltime agronomist available to work with winter canola growers in the three-state area. He is Heath Sanders, who has an MS degree in agronomy from OSU. Sanders' email address is rennhs@okstate.edu.

Winter canola harvested this spring yielded on the average 40 bushels per harvested acre. In high demand for its oil, wnter canola has been selling for more than $7 per bushel, compared to winter wheat prices averaging less than $5 per bushel. Friday, July 30, 2010, winter canola cash price was $8 per bushel, compared to the Kansas City close July, 2010, winter wheat price of $5.44 per bushel.

Local seed companies should be contacted about purchasing winter canola seed. Roundup Ready varieties bred for different climatic conditions are available, Neuens said.