Although they aren’t stars from a Hollywood sci-fi movie, Agricultural Center researchers recently investigated crop circles in northeast Louisiana and found themselves in the spotlight.
Ralph Bagwell, AgCenter entomologist and professor, and Ralph Frazier Jr., AgCenter county agent, investigated crop circles found in a wheat field in Epps earlier this year and have had their fair share of fame.
Bagwell said he got “a lot more [attention] than I ever wanted from something that I was not interested in.”
Inquiries about the circles came from as far as Missouri, Massachusetts and Germany.
Frazier, who works in the AgCenter’s West Carroll Parish Department, found out about the crop circles from a local newscast.
“All I did was take soil samples and run a nutrient test on it and found nothing,” he said. “What came back was in normal ranges. I was looking for something outrageous.”
Bagwell, the lead researcher, said he was called because the owner of the field was curious about the circular formations.
“[He] didn’t know what was going on and asked me to look at it to explain what was happening,” Bagwell said.
News got out, however, about the not so paranormal occurrence.
Frazier said the owner has fallen under heavy publicity and has people calling him frequently, so he wished to remain anonymous.
The team eventually concluded that the crop circles were no more than a good prank.
“It’s a hoax to me. That’s all I see,” Bagwell said. “By no means was I investigating this in any serious detail.”
Bagwell said there were consistent intervals between the circles and a uniform diameter, indicating they were man-made.
A herbicide was most likely sprayed some time last year in the pattern, causing the wheat to not grow correctly this season.
The only other possibility for the phenomenon, Bagwell said, is a gas leak from some gas lines underneath the land.
But at least it was a fun break from the day-to-day routine.
“I was just doing my job answering questions about issues of what’s going on in the field,” Bagwell said. “We got a real kick out of it because it’s something off the wall.”
—-Contact Ellen Fargason at [email protected]