By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

OWENSBORO, Ky. — Is it possible for a product to lower risks for certain diseases, and also may be used to fuel automobiles? Some researchers believe canola can do both.

As Kentucky develops a reputation for alternative-fuel technology, canola may prove to be a vital component in the production of biodiesel and other renewable fuels.

Miles Enterprises, an Owensboro-based agricultural supply company, is involved in canola research and production not only for alternative fuel feedstock, but to supply a healthier alternative to cooking oils high in trans fats. Ultimately, the company would like to commercialize the crop and market it for consumption and fuel.
Many U.S. fast-food chains and food producers are in the middle of a marketing blitz to promote products that have zero trans-fat - a high cholesterol-producing substance. Oil from canola has a fatty acid profile that precludes it from requiring a process called hydrogenation which has the negative side-effect of producing trans fats.

Canola was first bred in Canada in the 1970s and has become noted as Canada’s top edible oil and one of the largest oilseed crops in the world. In January 1985, the FDA granted canola oil GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for use in human foods. “The crop became popular in the mid-1980s, but there were a couple of problems then,” said Brian Caldbeck, product and service manager for Miles Enterprises.

“The lack of local markets for the product, genetics with less than ideal winter-hardiness and disease eventually made the crop less attractive and a lot of people lost faith in it. But with new technology, improved genetics and the proper chemicals to protect the crop, canola has the potential to come back into commercial production.”

Caldbeck said that since the 1980s, extensive genetic testing has strengthened the seed-stock allowing them to pick the best varieties of canola to plant in this region.

“Last year we picked two hybrids to grow on commercial acres in five states to look at the growing conditions in this region,” he said.

“And the crop came through even with the tough freeze. We were very impressed with how it came through and will harvest in a couple of weeks.”

Many of Kentucky’s crops, including wheat and barley didn’t fair so well through the Easter Freeze. Nearly all the barley crop was lost, and some estimates placed the wheat crop loss at 50 percent.
John Roberts, business development manager for Miles Enterprises said the crop could be most beneficial if used in rotation with other crops grown in the state.

“We don’t want farmers to plant all canola. We’re not trying to take out a crop but add a crop into the rotation,” he said.

Roberts touts research from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville locally, along with studies and research conducted by Kansas State University for helping to revitalize the crop here and around the country.

He also credits interest from state agencies such as the governor’s Office of Energy Policy as being beneficial to the resurgence of canola in this area as well.

As canola and other grain crops have increasingly been examined for their use as fuels, it couldn’t come quickly enough as costs have risen to all-time highs becoming an economical problem for all consumers including farmers.

UK Farm Management Specialist Craig Gibson said last year’s data from the Kentucky Farm Management Program showed farms in the state consumed 10 gallons of gas and diesel per acre. He also said that one of the larger operations in the Ohio Valley farm management area consumed seven gallons per acre. Fuel consumption, he noted, can vary based on size and type of operations.

It is perhaps the fuel crisis that has led products such as canola back into the limelight according to Roberts.

“Had it not been for the energy issue, we probably wouldn’t have seen the renewed interest in canola,” he said. “We see this as a fuel source alternative but we need a couple of years to get it out into the midwest and southeast.”

Other states including North Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma and Alaska are doing their part to expand the production of canola. According to the U.S. Canola Assoc., North Dakota and Minnesota currently account for more than 90 percent of the 1 million acres of canola planted in the United States.

Scientists at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks have been experimenting with the use of canola oil in creating biodiesel, with promising results. Not only will the plant grow in the Alaskan environment, but the added amount of daylight available during Alaska summers creates a product that contains a significantly higher oil content than when it’s grown on the mainland of the United States.