By Katharine Chute, Product and Market Development Specialist, Forever Green Initiative
April was a busy month for the Forever Green Initiative, as we hosted two major visits with leading companies and other key partners. First, on April 15, we welcomed Delta Air Lines and members of the GREATER MSP Sustainable Aviation Fuel Hub for a field tour and discussion of our winter oilseed crops, winter camelina and pennycress. Then, on April 30, we hosted a large group workshop with Hormel Foods featuring a range of crops with potential for food or animal feed uses.
An essential part of Forever Green’s theory of change is a concurrent focus on crop improvement and commercialization. Introducing a new, sustainable crop to the market is no small challenge, and we are excited to see this level of engagement from industry leaders, who bring invaluable perspective on the roadmap ahead.
Delta Air Lines Discusses Oilseeds for Jet Fuel
On the path towards decarbonization, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has emerged as a key solution to reduce carbon emissions from air travel. Winter camelina and pennycress seeds can be crushed and turned into oil that is then refined into low carbon-intensity jet fuel. How exactly this occurs and what it would take to scale this fuel pathway was the topic of discussion on April 15.
Delta Air Lines’ Chief Sustainability Officer Amelia DeLuca and VP of State and Local Government Affairs Jeff Davidman were joined by representatives from GREATER MSP, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Friends of the Mississippi River, Cargill, Bank of America, Ecolab, Xcel Energy, and Builders Initiative on their visit to Forever Green. “This kind of innovative cross-sector engagement is what it takes to solve global problems and build new industries in our region, which we’re doing right here, right now,” said Peter Frosch, President and CEO of GREATER MSP Partnership, which leads the Minnesota SAF Hub.
According to Forever Green Associate Director Mitch Hunter, "If we develop an SAF market for winter camelina and pennycress, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from flying while also protecting soil, improving water quality, and providing economic opportunities for farmers and rural communities."
This group of partners has the supply chain knowledge and expertise to contribute significantly to upscaling the production of these crops. We are deeply appreciative of the time and perspective shared by Delta Air Lines and all who participated and we look forward to continued engagement.
Hormel Foods Takes a Deep Dive into CLC Crops
UMN Forever Green recently had the opportunity to feature continuous living cover (CLC) crops and discuss their commercial potential with Hormel Foods. On April 30, Forever Green hosted a group of 20 supply chain, R&D, culinary, and sustainability leaders from Hormel Foods for a field tour and workshop on regenerative grains. Crops featured included hybrid winter rye, hybrid hazelnuts, Kernza perennial grain, winter barley, winter field peas, elderberries, winter camelina, and pennycress.
After an introduction to Forever Green’s research platform, the group headed out on the St. Paul Campus for a field tour on an absolutely perfect spring day. The day continued with updates on the commercialization status of various crops, a delicious catered lunch from Eat Your Heart Out Catering featuring Forever Green crop ingredients, a Q&A with chefs and food scientists, and research presentations about animal feed opportunities. The following day, the group visited a commercial scale hybrid winter rye field near Hormel Foods’ headquarters. Throughout the program, it was energizing to hear Hormel Foods’ perspectives on the R&D and commercialization progress for these crops and how they might contribute to Hormel’s 20 by 30 Global Impact goals. We are grateful to Hormel Foods for bringing together this group, and we look forward to continued discussions.
Across both of these events, a huge thank you to the many UMN researchers who presented.