With wheat harvest only two to three weeks away, Oklahoma officials are trying to stave off a shortage of custom harvesting crews by assembling an on-line directory of those working in the Southern Plains.

Jack Carson of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry says custom cutters willing to work in Oklahoma for the 2008 harvest should contact the ODAFF at (800) 580-6543, or e-mail [email protected].

Ag Secretary Terry Peach says several growers in Oklahoma have expressed concerns they are having problems booking custom cutters this year because of high fuel costs, fewer cutters in the business and increasingly difficult challenges in finding labor.