1. Sugar & Oil Crops

2. Objectives: Explain sugar and vegetable oil
Identify major sources of sugar
Describe the production of sugar crops
Describe the production of oil crops

3. Sugar and Oil Sugars: Sugar- any food product used as a sweetener
Plants (maple, corn) and animals (lactose or milk sugar) are sources of sugar

4. Vegetable oils:
Type of fat obtained from certain plants

5. Sugar Sources: Plant sources are the most important
Over half the worlds’ sugar comes from sugar cane
2 forms:
Granulated- crystals of raw sugar or (confectioner’s) finely ground
Liquid-syrup

6. Cane Sugar Mfg: Crop 7-15 ft. tall Harvested and sent to refinery
Crushed and squeezed
Blackstrap- the syrup produced during refining
Molasses- brown raw sugar that forms during refining when the blackstrap is removed

7. Beet Sugar Mfg.: Made from large cone shaped root of the beet
Long tap-root makes the beet good for dry growing areas
Can be stored outdoors for long periods with no loss
Cossetes- the beet slices that are diffused during refining
Beet Pulp- the dried out cossetes that remain after refining often used for cattle feed
Where grown:- Minnesota leads production followed by Idaho, ND, Michigan and California

8. Sugar Crop Production:
Sugar cane production:
Warm tropical climates
Very efficient growth
Has nodes that can sprout new growth
Mature stalks can seed but plants grown for harvest never make it to this stage
Harvested in the fall
Sap- watery juice containing sugar that makes up most of the weight of sugar cane
Ratoon crop- sugar cane produced by sprouting (plants that grow from harvested stubble

9. Sugar Beet Production:
Beets grown for seed are grown for 2 years
Sugar formation increases in late summer as the plants pull more nitrogen from the soil
The harvesting equipment is very unique this equipment cuts, lifts and loads the beets
Beets are hauled to processing facilities or piling stations

10. Sweet Sorghum:
A variety of grain sorghum produced for its “sweet juice”
Can be planted following corn or soybeans
Harvested at mature stage with leaves and seed removed
Stalks are squeezed the juice is cooked and canned for use

11. Vegetable Oil Sources:
Most plants contain small quantities of oil
Cooking oil- plant fat in which foods can be prepared
Mayonnaise, dressing, and shortening 
Non-cooking oil- plant fat used in products such as:
Printing ink, soap, leather tanning, fuels

12. Vegetable Oil Sources:
Ethanol- vegetable oil used as a fuel instead of gasoline or a blend of the two
Biodiesel- vegetable oil that has undergone esterification and blended with diesel fuel
Bi-products of vegetable oil production:
Chewing gum, plywood, crayons, plastics, animal feed, and fertilizer

13. Oil Crops:
Soybeans, canola, corn, cottonseed, peanuts, safflower, sesame, flaxseed, Tung seed, rapeseed, mustard, lesquerella, olive, and coconut, spearmint, and peppermint
Various uses on multiple scales (oil and bi-products)
Mfg. of vegetable oils:
Presses and solvents

14. Oil Crop Production: Types grown: Soybeans
One of the U.S. leading crops
More grown in the U.S. than the rest of the world combined
60 million acres per year
25-60 BPA
Processed for oil and meal
Avg. 11 lbs. of oil, 43 lbs. of meal, 4.2 lbs. of hulls per bushel

15. Planting: High quality seeds
Seedbed: land needs to be leveled be loose at the surface but tight below to hold water, terraces may also be necessary to slow water and avoid erosion
Seeding: soybeans are drilled to 1.5 – 2 in deep

16. Fertilization:
Good bean yields require fertilizer being a legume nitrogen is not a problem as long as the seeds are inoculated at planting
Inoculating- mixing nitrogen fixing rhizobia bacteria with the seeds
Soil test should be taken to determine the need for soil amendments

17. Pest management: IPM should be used to control pests
Common pests include: insects, weeds, and diseases
Can be somewhat controlled by planting resistant varieties
Cultural practices can be used to avoid certain pest

18. Harvesting: Combining after plant matures about 14% moisture
Pre-harvest loss- loss that occurs before the combine hits the field (aka shatter)
Harvest loss- loss caused during the harvest (machinery adjustment)

19. Peanut Production: Ranks 3rd in worldwide oil crop production
Types grown:
4 types, runner (peanut butter), Virginia (roasting), Spanish (candy), valencia

20. Varieties:
Varieties should be selected for climate adaptation and yield and must meet market requirements
Vary and should be chosen according to region that best supports their growth and production

21. Harvesting: harvested when 75% or more of the pods show darkening
uses a digger-shaker-windrower

22. Canola Production: seeds are 45% oil planted in the spring or fall
low levels of erucic acid that causes heart disease
ND and MN lead US production
Harvested when seeds brown must be harvested before shatter

23. Sunflower Production:
Tall yellow flowers
Most go to oil production (smaller seed)
some for birdseed, some for human snacks (larger seed)
3 to 1o ft tall head can produce up to 1,000 seeds
Require less moisture than most crops due to extensive root system
Slower growth over season

24. Safflower Production:
Similar to sunflower
Used to make cooking oil, paint, and varnishes
Cool temp tolerant
Resemble thistles
30% to 40% oil
Harvested by combine
Shattering is not a problem

25. Summary: Sugar crops are sources of food and sweeteners such as:
Sugar beets, cane, corn, and maple
Oil crops are used for:
vegetable oils for cooking, food sources, paint, and fuel
Oil crops are:
soybeans, peanuts, cotton seed, corn, canola, sunflowers, and safflowers

26. Summary: Cultural requirements vary:
Sugar cane likes tropical climate, high moisture
sugar beets like cooler climates with less moisture
Soybeans are the most important oil crop in the U.S
good rotational relationship with corn because it is a legume and can fix nitrogen

27. Summary: Peanuts and canola are also important oil crops
Sunflowers and safflowers are lesser grown oil crops in the U.S. but have a niche due to their ability to grow in cooler climates with less moisture