A continuing gap between crop prices and the cost of production is forcing farmers nationwide to explore new ways to add value to their products, and Miss-Lou farmers are no exception.

Toward that end, a group of Mississippi and Louisiana farmers &045;&045; Agricultural Commodities Economic Development Inc. &045;&045; is requesting $17,350 in federal funds.

The money will be used to commission a Louisiana State University study of the feasibility of locating in the Miss-Lou an extrusion facility that would break soybeans down into meal, oil and other marketable products.

&uot;It could mean (farmers could get) 90 cents to $1 more per bushel, … based on today’s market prices,&uot; said Concordia Parish County Agent Glen Daniels.

And in years when excess rain lowers crop quality, such soybeans could still yield such byproducts, giving farmers an alternative product to sell.

Having such a facility located in the area would reduce transportation costs for farmers in the co-op.

In addition, &uot;farmers also feel more secure having a stable market to which to send their products,&uot; said Clayton-based farming consultant Roger Carter.

&uot;This facility could be security for some of our crop.&uot;

Liz Brooking &045;&045; who, with husband Cecil Brooking, farms soybeans and other crops outside Ferriday and is helping organize the effort &045;&045; said the group should hear from the U.S. Department of Agriculture by as soon as September whether it received the grant.

After visiting with agricultural researchers, professors and other farming experts throughout the South about the feasibility of different crops and of producing value-added products, the group has settled primarily on the soybean.

&uot;Soybeans are easy to grow. You can grow (different varieties) from March through July,&uot; Liz Brooking said.

&uot;And it doesn’t take as much up-front money (to grow them).&uot;

In addition, soybean oil and meal can be marketed for use in a variety of other products.

For example, meal could be used to produce a high-quality chicken and cattle feed that could be used by farmers right here in the Miss-Lou, Daniels said.

There’s even a possibility markets could be found for the &uot;trash&uot; resulting from production of those soybean products, Liz Brooking said. &uot;That’s part of what the study will tell us,&uot; she said.