Camelina, the Cinderella Crop

Drill, baby, drill?  How about grow, baby, grow. 

Marty Durlin writing at The Goat Blog asks if camelina is Montana's wonder crop and then provides plenty of reason to answer yes.

A new study -- funded by the camelina industry and conducted with jet fuel from seeds developed by a Bozeman company called Sustainable Oils-- says fuel made with the oilseed camelina could cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 84 percent compared with fuel made from petroleum.

There's more.  Camelina has many grower-friendly factors:  the plant adapts to different soil types, is drought resistant, quick growing and can withstand cold climates; it costs $45 to $68 per acre to produce, is beneficial as a rotational crop and camelina meal, the byproduct of producing the fuel, can be used as livestock feed.  Plus, although camelina is not currently produced for human consumption, it has many nutritional benefits, such as the high content of omega 3 fatty acids in its oil.

Durlin writes that it is estimated Montana farmers would have to shift up to one-fourth of their total planted acres into camelina production to provide enough feedstocks for a 100-million gallon biodiesel production facility, something growers are currently reluctant to do.  But Governor Brian Schweitzer has been instrumental in making biofuel production attractive for growers and industry in Montana and camelina is his darling.

With similar growing conditions here, camelina has potential in Idaho, too.  University of Idaho researchers have been testing camelina since 2005 and while there are critics, some believe it may be the crop that makes biodiesel production economically sustainable.  Experts at UI also disagree with those who blame biofuels for an increase in food and commodity prices and instead point to high oil prices and a weak dollar.

If camelina is to fuel the economic stability of biodiesel production, it appears in Idaho it will have to do so while taxed at the same rate as traditional petroleum-based fuels.  The biodiesel tax exemption has recently become a pawn in the taxpayer-funded game of chicken waged between Governor Otter and House Republicans over road maintenance funding.

Last week the House voted unanimously to eliminate the tax exemption—effectively a ten percent tax increase on biodiesel and blended fuels (estimates are this includes at least 25 percent and may be as high as 75 percent of fuel sold in the state)—while remaining firmly against a tax increase on unblended petroleum-based fuels; the Senate has yet to act.

Camelina thrives in harsh environments.  In Idaho it has to—without glass slippers.

Comments

[Coward of the Keyboard]

Sounds like a great crop. I hear that cheat grass can also easily be made into ethanol. It is a better alternative than corn, which has no business being used when so many are hungry in this world, driving the price up. We need to look at alternatives such as this plant.

By the way, love the new look on your site header. Kudos!

[MountainGoat]

Thanks, Coward.

Agreed that using food crops for fuel isn't desirable, especially when those crops are much more expensive to produce, require much more water, etc.