Syngenta Seeds, Sustainable Oils Announce Commercial Agreement to Sell Camelina Seed 

Syngenta Seeds has entered into an agreement with Sustainable Oils, Inc., to provide farmers in parts of Kansas, Colorado and further west the opportunity to grow camelina, an oilseed-based crop, starting in 2024. 

Camelina, a type of mustard, is native in countries and regions from Finland to Romania and east to the Ural Mountains in Russia. 

Today, the oilseed crop can be used as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel and animal feed production. It has an exceptionally high level (up to 45%) of omega-3 fatty acids.

“Camelina represents a key feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and sustainable aviation fuel. It is a remarkable crop that protects like a cover crop and pays like a cash crop,” says Mike Karst, president of Sustainable Oils, a subsidiary of Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc.  

Camelina is an ultra-low carbon oilseed crop, according to Eric Boeck, regional director North America for Syngenta Seeds. He says there is insufficient corn and soybean production today to meet current oilseed demand, while, at the same time, consumers are demanding low carbon index products.

“You've got these two macro trends coming together today – demand for oil and demand for sustainably produced low carbon products,” he says. “Because of the way it grows, camelina has a carbon index of 24, while (traditional) diesel has a carbon index of about 105.”  

Where Camelina Fits Into Growers’ Crop Rotation 

Boeck says there are a number of ways camelina can be incorporated into a farmer’s current crop rotation. The crop is particularly well-suited to areas with low water availability in-season and where leaving fields fallow after wheat is a common practice. 

As a for instance, he offered two scenarios where camelina will be a good fit:

“One option is the grower plants wheat in year one, followed by camelina in year two, then followed by corn or wheat in year three,” he says. 

“Another option would be to plant and harvest corn and then plant camelina and let it overwinter and then harvest the camelina in May or June the following spring (much like winter wheat). Farmers can then plant soybeans into the harvested camelina fields, which would give them three crops in two years,” Boeck adds.

Based on pilot farmers’ experience with producing camelina, growers can expect to see yields ranging from a low of 400 pounds per acre up to 1,800 pounds per acre. “This is a crop that responds well to intensive management. Farmers who provide that should see yields more in that upper yield range,” Boeck says. 

Farmers won’t likely need to purchase new equipment to grow camelina. Most will simply need to adjust their current equipment. “Camelina can be planted with an air seeder,” Boeck says. “Then at harvest, on the combine you’ll need to change the concave settings to be much tighter together versus what is used for corn and soybeans, because camelina seed is about half the size of an alfalfa seed.”

What Can Growers Anticipate Being Compensated For Camelina?

Camelina seed will be sold through Syngenta’s AgriPro dealer network in a vertical marketing model. Farmers who buy camelina seed will have a harvest purchase contract. 

Boeck says there is no marketing risk for the farmer since there is already an integrated value chain model. He anticipates growers will be paid in the neighborhood of 25 cents to 30 cents per pound of harvested crop. 

He estimates that in counties where 100,000 acres of camelina are grown, there is the potential for an additional $30 million of revenue being generated in that county annually.

Camelina seed will be marketed in select areas of Western Kansas, Colorado, Montana and the Pacific Northwest for 2024. It can be included as a spring crop in a wheat-fallow rotation in Montana and the Pacific Northwest, and as a winter crop in Kansas and Colorado.

“We’ll have a series of agronomic sessions with farmers to equip them with best practices for growing camelina, and we’ll have Sustainable Oils helping us do that,” Boeck says.

Four things to know about Camelina Sativa:
•    Camelina produces oil seeds that produce a sustainable oil for renewable fuel production. 
•    Camelina is a drought-resilient oilseed that provides quick soil cover and improves soil structure.
•    Sustainable Oils’ proprietary camelina varieties and farm-to-fuel pathways can yield renewable diesel with an ultra-low lifecycle Carbon Intensity (CI).
•    Renewable diesel and other renewable fuels produced with Sustainable Oils’ patented camelina varieties have the potential to achieve a Net Zero or below CI score.