<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PostalCode"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="State"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="Street"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="address"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceType"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceName"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";
panose-1:3 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Making the switch<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'>Could plant be used in ethanol?<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>By The Associated Press, The Oklahoman
6/12/2008<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>GUYMON — Work has started on the planting of a 1,000-acre
switchgrass field in the Oklahoma Panhandle that researchers plan to use in the
production of cellulosic ethanol. The field is being touted as the
world’s largest for switchgrass, a drought-resistant perennial plant that
grows even on marginal lands. Scientists at the Noble Foundation in <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ardmore</st1:place></st1:City> are overseeing
the project and hope that switchgrass proves to be a viable substitute for corn
in ethanol production. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Hitch Enterprises, a Panhandle-based company, began planting the field
on Friday. Smaller fields of switchgrass also will be planted in central <st1:State
w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:State> near <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chickasha</st1:place></st1:City>
and Maysville. “Rising food costs recently resulted in a pushback against
renewable fields,” said David Fleischaker, the state’s energy
secretary. “However, cellulosic ethanol from sources like switchgrass and
sorghum are noncompetitive with food sources for animals and humans.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>What would be done with the grass?<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The crop from the field will be cut and sent to a biorefinery that will
be built by Abengoa Bioenergy of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Hugoton</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">Kan.</st1:State></st1:place>, just across the state line
from Guymon. The biorefinery should be ready for operation by 2010. The Noble
Foundation is working with the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bioenergy</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType>,
the <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:PlaceName> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> on the
switchgrass project. Noble Foundation spokesman Adam Calaway said researchers
expect to harvest about 30 percent of the crop during the first year after
planting, 70 percent the year after that and 100 percent starting with the
third year. The Panhandle field will include both irrigated and dry-land crops
for research purposes. He said the goal is to have production of ethanol made
with switchgrass “up and going” by 2017. “The whole goal is
to displace 30 percent of the oil we import,” he said. “If you
displace that much it helps us financially, so you think of the billions of dollars
we’ll save and be able to put back into agriculture.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Planting of switchgrass plot in
Panhandle begins<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Journal Record
6/12/2008<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>GUYMON (AP) – Work has started on the planting of a 1,000-acre
switchgrass field in the Oklahoma Panhandle that researchers plan to use in the
production of cellulosic ethanol. The field is being touted as the
world’s largest for switchgrass, a drought-resistant perennial plant that
grows even on marginal lands. Scientists at the Noble Foundation in <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ardmore</st1:place></st1:City> are overseeing
the project and hope that switchgrass proves to be a viable substitute for corn
in ethanol production. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Hitch Enterprises, a Panhandle-based company, began planting the field
on Friday. Smaller fields of switchgrass also will be planted in central <st1:State
w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:State> near <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Chickasha</st1:City></st1:place>
and Maysville. “Rising food costs recently resulted in a pushback against
renewable fields,” said David Fleischaker, the state’s energy
secretary. “However, cellulosic ethanol from sources like switchgrass and
sorghum are noncompetitive with food sources for animals and humans.” The
crop from the field will be cut and sent to a new biorefinery that will be
built by Abengoa Bioenergy of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Hugoton</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">Kan.</st1:State></st1:place>, just across the state line
from Guymon. The biorefinery should be ready for use by 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Noble Foundation is working with the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bioenergy</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType>,
the <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:PlaceName> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> on the
switchgrass project. Noble Foundation spokesman Adam Calaway said researchers
expect to harvest about 30 percent of the crop during the first year after
planting, 70 percent the year after that and 100 percent starting with the
third year.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Panhandle field will include both irrigated and dry-land crops for
research purposes. “We did it irrigated to insure that we get a crop and
are able to study it,” Calaway said. “You don’t have any
guarantees with the dry land. You’re really dependent on Mother
Nature.” He said the goal is to have production of ethanol made with
switchgrass “up and going” by 2017. “The whole goal is to
displace 30 percent of the oil we import,” he said. “If you
displace that much it helps us financially, so you think of the billions of
dollars we’ll save and be able to put back into agriculture. You can imagine
how much that would revolutionize agriculture.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face="Monotype Corsiva"><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Monotype Corsiva"'>Linda Mason, Ed.D.</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Coordinator for Grant Writing and External Funding</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Oklahoma</span></font></st1:PlaceName><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></span></font></st1:place><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Regents for Higher
Education</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>655 Research
Parkway, Suite 200</span></font></st1:address></st1:Street><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Oklahoma City</span></font></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">OK</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">73104</st1:PostalCode></span></font></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>405-225-9486</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><a href="mailto:lmason@osrhe.edu">lmason@osrhe.edu</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>IP: 164.58.250.178</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>