News

Winter canola pilot expanding in mid-South

Bunge Chevon Ag Renewables is expanding farmer contracts this fall as part of a winter canola project with Corteva Agriscience.

Corteva Agriscience Global Product Director for Biofuels Chad Berghoefer tells Brownfield the collaboration started last year with 5,000 acres and is ramping up to 35,000 in year two.

“All the genetics today are coming out of Europe and so we are screening those in our research facilities for the geography of that Kentucky, Tennessee, Southern Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas area and finding out which ones work best in our climate here,” he explains.

The crop will be crushed a Bunge’s Louisiana plant which has expanded biofuel capabilities including for renewable biodiesel production.

“You’re over doubling the amount of oil you can pull off on a per acre basis compared to soybeans, and from a crushing standpoint, that matters cause the crushed plant can only do so many tons in a day,” he explains. “If you can do the same amount of tons but yet get double the amount of oil off of it, that really matters.”

Berghoefer says more oilseed production will be needed to fill increasing biofuel demand and Corteva is working on establishing U.S. winter canola seed production to support the growth.

“Right now, there’s been acres floated around somewhere around 1,000,000 acres,” he says. “It really depends on what kind of yield we kind of get from this. We pulled in about 54 bushels per acre this year at a fairly decent price. Price fluctuates, no doubt, but if we can maintain performance as we expand acres, that will be extremely great.”

He says Bunge is finalizing 2025 contracted acres by August 15 and planting should start about the first week of September.

AUDIO: Chad Berghoefer, Corteva Agriscience