USA – As demand for low-carbon-intensity feedstocks in biofuels rises, Cargill has partnered with the Forever Green Initiative to develop winter camelina and domesticated pennycress as high-oil-seed cash crops.
This collaboration aims to meet sustainability challenges while providing new revenue opportunities for farmers.
The Forever Green Initiative, a research platform within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota, is working with Cargill to create high-performing seed varieties and farming techniques tailored to the Upper Midwest’s unique growing conditions.
These efforts focus on winter camelina and domesticated pennycress, planted in the fall and harvested in the spring.
These intermediate oilseed crops offer benefits such as soil cover and improvements in water quality, soil health, and ecosystem sustainability. They can be grown in rotation with corn and soy or following small seed crops like wheat.
The high oil content of camelina and pennycress makes them promising candidates for low-carbon transportation fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.
“Innovations in agriculture are critical to help feed and fuel the world sustainably while also addressing climate change,” said Lyle DePauw, crop innovation director for Cargill.
He emphasized that Cargill’s long-standing partnership with the University of Minnesota and collaboration with farmers are vital to advancing new market opportunities.
He noted that winter camelina and pennycress have significant potential to support the decarbonization of global transportation and promote a more sustainable food system.
Cargill brings its expertise in crop improvement, including trait discovery, high-throughput genotyping, genomic selection, trait development, and cellular biology, to this partnership.
These technologies will accelerate the development and commercial release of improved varieties of camelina and pennycress.
This project builds on a previously announced US$2.5 million philanthropic grant from Cargill to the University of Minnesota to accelerate crop biology and management research.
“This support from Cargill will take our breeding and genomics work to the next level and help us develop even better varieties of camelina and pennycress for farmers in Minnesota and beyond,” said Mitch Hunter, associate director of the Forever Green Initiative. “We are incredibly grateful to Cargill for this generous research partnership.”
Currently, Cargill is working with a small group of farmers in Minnesota and North Dakota to study suitable growing conditions for camelina. The first harvest will conclude this month.
As Cargill expands its pilot program, farmers will have additional opportunities to explore winter camelina starting August 1.
Minnesota farmers participating in Cargill’s pilot program may receive support through the Forever Green program called Environmental and Economic Clusters of Opportunity (EECO).
Funded by the Clean Water Council and supported by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the EECO program offers agronomic support, environmental benefit payments, and risk management payments to farmers growing winter camelina.
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