Camelina and pennycress: the next generation of biofuels? 

 

Imagine a future where the fields expand farmers’ revenue streams and help fuel our world more sustainably — as well as feeding people.

Enter camelina and pennycress — two crops with the potential to help make farming practices more sustainable and profitable. 

Camelina and pennycress are not just about planting oilseed crops. They’re about using regenerative agriculture practices to enhance soil health, support farmers’ livelihoods and even produce low-carbon fuel. In fact, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s first symbolic flight fueled in part by sustainable aviation fuel took off Sept. 25 — and it was fuel derived from camelina crops grown just miles away by farmers taking part in a Cargill pilot project. 

“Winter camelina and pennycress have incredible potential to aid in the decarbonization of the global transportation system and support a more sustainable food system,” says Lyle DePauw, Cargill’s director of crop innovation.

At Cargill, we're working with experts and farmers to pioneer commercial opportunities for these winter cover crops, including for renewable fuels. Below, learn more about camelina, pennycress and what we’re doing to help grow these next-generation intermediate oilseed plants.

 

What is camelina?

A winter-hardy crop, camelina has emerging potential as a part of regenerative agriculture practices for farmers.

Camelina, also known as camelina sativa, is a winter-hardy crop within the mustard family. Farmers in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota typically plant camelina plants in the fall and harvest them in the spring. Much like canola, rapeseed, sunflowers and soybeans, camelina seeds can be crushed to create oil.

 

What is pennycress?

Similar to camelina, pennycress produces seeds that can be harvested and crushed to produce oil. Photo credit: Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station/University of Minnesota.

Pennycress, also known as Thlaspi arvense, field pennycress or common pennycress, is another winter-hardy plant in the mustard family. Pennycress seeds, much like those of camelina, also can be harvested and crushed to produce seed oil. 

 

Camelina and field pennycress benefits and uses

Camelina and pennycress plants are eco-friendly intermediate oilseed plants, grown on farms like the one above, that also offer the same benefits as traditional cover crops. 

Camelina and field pennycress are eco-friendly intermediate oilseed plants that act like cover crops. That means they can be planted between traditional summer crops like soy and corn.

They offer the same benefits as cover crops, such as improving soil health by reducing erosion and scavenging nitrogen. Their seeds can also be harvested for oil. This offers farmers an additional income stream between growing seasons and the possibility of harvesting three crops in two years.

And camelina and pennycress can be used as a feedstock in biofuel. That’s because they have a low carbon footprint and they don’t compete as traditional food sources. 

“It’s an exciting development and combination: You get the soil health benefits of a cover crop, and you get the economic benefit of selling an extra crop,” says Mitch Hunter, associate director of the Forever Green Initiative and adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota. “Farmers plant camelina and pennycress in the fall, but instead of terminating them in spring like a typical cover crop, they harvest them.”

 

How do these plants improve soil health?

Soybeans are growing next to a camelina crop, which is called “relay cropping.” Camelina can improve soil health by reducing erosion, enhancing soil structure and increasing organic matter. 

Camelina and pennycress can improve soil health by reducing erosion, enhancing soil structure and increasing organic matter. Their root systems help hold the soil together, preventing nutrient runoff and promoting healthier soil ecosystems.

While data is still emerging, there is some indication that camelina performs better in dry conditions, while pennycress performs better in wetter conditions, Hunter says. Each of these crops is best suited to a particular area. As the acreage of these crops grow, we will learn more about the regions where each one thrives and works best for farmers.   

 

What are the economic benefits to farmers?

Camelina and pennycress can be harvested and sold, offering financial advantages on top of the soil health benefits.

Growing camelina and pennycress offers farmers several financial advantages. Farmers can use them as cash crops that are harvested and sold, providing an additional income stream. They also can use them as cover crops that enhance soil health, which can enhance the overall productivity and profitability of their farm.

With good planning, farmers growing camelina and pennycress can follow it with a second crop like soybean to achieve three crops in a two-year cycle. Camelina and pennycress are planted in the autumn, following the harvest of a traditional summer annual crop, like wheat or sweet corn. The crops grow through the remaining days before the winter freeze. In the early spring, after the snow melts, these crops begin to grow again and quickly reach maturity in late spring or early summer.

 

Case study: Cargill, University of Minnesota research future of winter camelina and pennycress 

Camelina produces a gorgeous yellow flower and seeds that can be crushed to create low-carbon oil used in transportation fuel, such as aviation. 

During his two-decade career, Lyle DePauw has learned a thing or two about seeds. As Cargill’s director of crop innovation, Lyle is particularly excited about the future of winter camelina and domesticated pennycress. 

That’s due in part to a new partnership between Cargill and the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota. It’s focused on developing new high-performing seed varieties and farming techniques for the Upper Midwest of the United States.

“Innovations in agriculture are critical to help feed and fuel the world sustainably while also addressing climate change,” DePauw says. “Cargill has a long history of partnering with the University of Minnesota and working alongside farmers to advance new market opportunities.”

This collaboration aims to speed up new varieties of camelina and pennycress and enhance their performance in the field. Cargill’s expertise in crop improvement, including trait discovery, high-throughput genotyping, genomic selection, trait development and cellular biology, will help rapidly advance the diverse genetics from the University of Minnesota. 

“Our two skill sets and organizations are super complementary,” Hunter says. “We bring scientific knowledge to improve a crop and adapt it to our region. Cargill brings the market knowledge, presence, and credibility with farmers so we can scale this up to commercial viability.”

That commercial viability took another step with camelina grown in this year’s pilot contributing to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). According to the U.S. Department of Energy, aviation makes up about 2% of total carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, underlining the impact SAF can make in reducing those impacts. 

“We are proud to play a key role in building the end-to-end supply chain for winter camelina and provide another market for farmers in support of the fast-growing renewable fuels industry industry,” says Jason Purtle, a commercial manager for Cargill’s softseeds operations. “By working together, we can not only create new income streams for farmers but also advance a cleaner future for liquid fuels, including those used in aviation.” 

This year’s 2,000-acre pilot with Minnesota farmers will expand in 2025. That includes working with Minnesota farmers like Ben Penner, who says he’s proud to work with Cargill on the pilot project.

“I believe we can meet our shared environmental and climate goals through agriculture by working together and promoting this innovative, cropping system,” Ben says. “If there ever was a win-win, this is it. Farmers, community members, elected officials and everyone in between and up and down the supply chain agrees that agriculture will play a big role in driving this positive change. I'm proud that Cargill is stepping up to lead the way to a better environmental future for our families, our communities and our planet.”

Adds Hunter: “We’re scratching the surface of what plant science can do to improve these plants and what large-scale adoption can do to improve ecological outcomes. It's a really hopeful story.”

Learn more about how to grow winter camelina with Cargill.
 

 

More stories