Oklahoma wheat farmers faces challenges and responsibilities

With the United States normalizing relations with Cuba, there's been a lot of talk about new opportunities for Oklahoma's farmers.

Cuba has 11-million people and this country sell 85% of the grain to the other nations of the Caribbean.
Oklahoma State University Agricultural Economist, Kim Anderson says Cuba is less than 1% of the world market, but it won't hurt.

"If we open those Cuban markets, we will definitely pick up some demand there. We have got comparative advantage on transportation.

We've got say $10 a metric ton less, than say out of Argentina."These days if you're a wheat farmer in Oklahoma, you'd better be aware of everything from South America, to Russia and Kazakhstan.
Ponca City Wheat Farmer, Don Schieber is a global businessman.

"The value of the dollar in our Black Sea markets have been hurtin us on our exports sales and you've got Nigeria and Egypt waiting to grow more of their own grain"Schieber says he has to play every angle to be competitive.

You won't find a high roller in any casino, who has more nerve than a wheat farmer.But Schieber says he's not big on them.

"I've got nine of em here within 25 miles. I've been in two of em to eat. So I do enough gamblin out here. I don't need to go to a casino."

As the seeds went-in this fall, the farmers once again bet on the future.They're also aware that they have a responsibility to a hungry world.

Every year the farmers are hoping for the best possible yield and the best taste at the bakery. Researchers at O.S.U. are working to get that done.

They'll tell you, we also need to double our production by about the middle of this century.Dr. Brett Carver is the head of the wheat genetics program.

He says he's well aware that a lot more people are coming to dinner."We know that we can't get worse. There's no going back. We must get better in the food that we are raising."

They're using genetics to improve the farmer's odds and output, with custom varieties for Oklahoma.
But each one takes 12-years to develop and the Carver says world's population is growing fast.

"We're looking over our shoulder right now. The game is on now. We need to be preparing for 2050, 2060 today."

Fortunately they're just scratching the surface of crop genetics that offer tremendous potential. Oklahoma's farmers planted their wheat last month and they'll be harvesting in early summer. Let's hope they keep at it.By 2060 there will be about 10-billion of us, ready for that next meal.