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Minnesota farmers eye crop shifts to enter sustainable aviation fuel market

Some farmers are considering crop rotation changes to tap into the sustainable aviation fuel market.

Minnesota Farm Bureau president Carolyn Olson says there are growers in her state looking to grow winter camelina as a SAF feedstock.

“Just to try something different as a way to sell something that not everybody else is. And I think a lot of the camelina right now is on the very small scale, because we’re still working on what does it look like to grow that in a large-scale and where are the markets?”

She tells Brownfield there’s hope corn-based ethanol will qualify for the 45Z tax credit.

“The people that are toying with growing camelina are those who are looking for something different to raise, like instead of a soybean. Or in addition to something else, like in addition to or in place of an alfalfa.”

Olson says Minnesota is positioned well to become a global SAF hub because of the variety of crops grown, a strong renewable fuels presence and being home to Delta Airlines.