The Minnesota Star Tribune published a commentary on April 7, co-written by Forever Green Co-Director Dr. Nick Jordan and Friends of the Mississippi River Executive Director Whitney Clark. In the piece, Jordan and Clark explain the transformative potential of winter-hardy oilseeds such as camelina and pennycress as a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock.
Here’s a snippet:
“With continued development, winter oilseeds could partner well with corn and soybeans grown in summer on the same acreage. Research shows that having winter-hardy oilseeds on a quarter of the state’s existing cropland would make real progress in reducing the state’s runaway levels of nitrate pollution … Importantly, using winter oilseeds for sustainable aviation fuel would help farmers diversify their operations with in-demand crops. This reduces risk and opens up a new source of revenue without requiring more land or displacing moneymaking summer crops.”
Read the full commentary via the Star Tribune by clicking here.
Fuel made with winter-hardy oilseeds has a very low carbon intensity (CI) score, and growing these crops over the winter provides Continuous Living Cover — meaning they protect soil and improve water quality.