- Jul 16, 2024
- 2 min read
Cargill has teamed up with the University of Minnesota's Forever Green Initiative to enhance research on winter camelina and domesticated pennycress.
The collaboration aims to develop high performing seed varieties and farming methods tailored to the Upper Midwest's conditions.
Cargill will leverage its expertise in crop improvement, including trait discovery, genotyping, genomic selection, trait development and cellular biology, to advance the genetics provided by the university. This partnership is expected to speed up the development and commercial release of improved camelina and pennycress varieties.
This initiative builds on a previous $2.5 million philanthropic grant from Cargill to the University of Minnesota, intended to boost crop biology and management research.
Mitch Hunter, associate director of the Forever Green Initiative, said: “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. We are incredibly grateful to Cargill for this very generous research partnership.”
Winter camelina and domesticated pennycress, planted in the fall and harvested in the spring, serve as intermediate oilseed crops. They provide soil cover and address sustainability challenges in agricultural supply chains, such as water quality and soil health. These crops can be integrated into rotations with corn, soy or after small grains like wheat.
The high oil content of these crops presents an emerging revenue opportunity driven by the demand for low-carbon intensity feedstocks. Their seed oil can be refined into sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.
Lyle DePauw, crop innovation director for Cargill, added: “Innovations in agriculture are critical to help feed and fuel the world sustainably while also addressing climate change. Cargill has a long history of partnering with the University of Minnesota and working alongside farmers to advance new market opportunities. Winter camelina and pennycress have incredible potential to aid in the decarbonisation of the global transportation system and support a more sustainable food system.”
Cargill is currently working with farmers in Minnesota and North Dakota to study camelina's growing conditions, with the first harvest concluding this month. From 1 August, Cargill will expand its pilot programme, offering more farmers the opportunity to grow winter camelina.
