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Pennycress commercialization continues

Work continues to commercialize pennycress into a viable biofuels feedstock.

Dr. Win Phippen at Western Illinois University has spent the past 15 years developing pennycress from a roadside weed into a domesticated commercial crop.

“We want a plant that a farmer can confidently plant in the fall, get it well established in the fall, survive any sort of disasters Mother Nature throws at it throughout the winter months and then survive to be harvested,” he says.

Tad Wesley, research agronomist at WIU, says studying pennycress in a corn and soybean rotation has also been crucial.

“We don’t get much of a yield hit on soybeans after pennycress.”  He says, “Corn, we actually don’t get a whole lot of a hit. We see a little bit more, but very little yield reduction in it.”

Jim Hedges, CEO of CoverCress and a central Illinois farmer, says the long-term goal is to bring a new revenue stream to Midwestern farms.

“The farmer can now get three revenue crops in two years while improving soil health and developing an oil seed that can go into high value biofuels,” he says.

Hedges says this spring marks the second-year harvest of commercialized CoverCress and the company plans to continue to expand the number of acres planted this fall.

Western Illinois University showcased the latest advancements in pennycress at its annual field day on May 22nd.

AUDIO: Dr. Win Phippen – WIU