BCAP program on camelina faces deadline
Farm and Ranch September 8, 2011 A deadline is approaching for farmers in several western states to sign up for a Biomass Crop Assistance Program. Atkinson: “Producers who are located in Washington, California and Montana, September 16th is the deadline for which they can sign up to grow camelina under the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.” That is the national Farm Service Agency chief of staff Todd Atkinson. He left out that producers in five Oregon counties are also eligible for the program. Those are Jefferson, Klamath, Umatilla, Union and Wasco. What does a participating farmer get from this camelina program? Atkinson: “They could enter into five-year contracts and they would receive an incentive payment that is equivalent to the CRP soil rental rate plus 50%.” Atkinson says the oil from camelina can help meet the nation’s energy security purposes as a biofuel. Atkinson: “It is an oilseed. It is ideal for jet fuels. The aviation is very interested in this feedstock as an opportunity for it to reduce its reliance on petroleum. And this is an excellent opportunity for farmers to diversify their production and participate in domestic energy security.” For more information contact your local FSA office. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ? ?
