07/19/07 A camelina skeptic

Farm and Ranch July 19, 2007 The oilseed crop camelina was on tours of quite a few field days in the Pacific Northwest this year. The ancient crop can be grown under drier conditions than an oilseed like canola and because of less need for inputs, at lower cost too. Researchers in the region with camelina in test plots seem encouraged by what they are seeing. But University of Idaho canola and mustard breeder Jack Brown is skeptical about camelina. Brown: "I don't see the end use of the crop. The oil is an oilseed crop but it is not a brassica. At present the oil cannot be consumed for human consumption. If I understand correctly the seed meal, which is left after you remove the oil, cannot be used for livestock feed. I believe some of it has been used for dog food. And I know also that a lot of the oil has been used for biodiesel. In fact many people have talked about camelina in relation to making biodiesel." But Brown says camelina biodiesel gels at a higher temperature than fuel made from canola oil creating cold flow problems. He says camelina biodiesel also creates nitrous oxide emissions and it has a short shelf life. Duane Johnson of Great Plains Oil and Exploration in Montana, who was at several northwest field days promoting camelina, expects regulatory hurdles for camelina use in food and feed will soon be overcome. Johnson says that biodiesel from camelina is similar to fuel from soybeans and soybeans currently set the U.S. standard. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.