By Tony Waggoner
Staff Writer
As printed in the The Enid News & Eagle, March 28, 2008.

Plains Partners and Oklahoma State University Extension Office of Kingfisher County will sponsor a forum about the state's biofuels industry Tuesday in Kingfisher.

The forum will be 6-9 p.m. at Kingfisher County Fairgrounds, 300 S. 13th.

"With several native crops in development, Oklahoma farmers are well positioned to capitalize on these new biofuel requirements," said David Fleischaker, Oklahoma secretary of energy. "And with our new Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, our state has a significant advantage in the race to develop a viable alternative fuel."

Proposed by Gov. Brad Henry, the state Legislature funded the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center in 2007. Partners in the center, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and Noble Foundation, are collaborating on the development of cellulosic ethanol from crops like switchgrass, sweet sorghum and milo, as well as research on biodiesel derived from natural oils like sunflower seeds and canola. The center also is developing new techniques to harvest and transport energy crops to the biorefinery and processes for converting the biomass into transportation fuel.

Forum speakers include Steven Rhines, of the Noble Foundation; Yates Adcock, of Adcock Ranch; Mike Marlow, of Monsanto; Terry Detrick, of the American Farmers & Ranchers and Plains Oilseed Products Co-op; Clay Pope, of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts; and state Rep. James Covey.

Attendees will be updated on:

• The most scientific data available to help producers make sound decisions on what types of viable energy crops to grow in the Kingfisher area in the near future.
• The large-scale switchgrass demonstration project in western Oklahoma.
• Noble Foundation's development of a dedicated energy crop.
• Biorefinery construction in Oklahoma.
• Federal and state initiatives for biomass and biofuel production.
• The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center.

Dinner of smoked pork, cole slaw, baked beans and dinner rolls will be provided by Bayer Crop Science and will be served 5-5:45 p.m. Attendance and dinner is free, but advance registration is required. For information or registration, call Robin Wolf at (405) 263-7240 or make reservations online at plainspartners.com.

This article appeared in The Enid News & Eagle, www.enidnews.com, on March 28, 2008.