Bozeman, Montana
July 1, 2009
Company leaders brief Montana
Governor and state officials about progress in developing
sustainable camelina industry in North America
Sustainable Oils, INc.
continues to build markets and momentum for the commercial
camelina business in Montana, the Pacific Northwest, and
southern Canada. The company has secured sales contracts for the
camelina oil and camelina meal from its 2008 harvested crop. The
harvested camelina seeds are currently being crushed by Montana
Specialty Mills in Great Falls, Montana.
Last week, Sustainable Oils leaders briefed Montana Governor
Brian Schweitzer and other state officials including Ron de
Young, director of Montana Department of Agriculture, and Evan
Barrett, chief business officer, on the progress of the company
and camelina within the state and across North America.
“We're seeing growing interest and demand for both camelina oil
and camelina meal as customers see the opportunities and
benefits of the crop,” said Scott Johnson, president of
Sustainable Oils. “Our goal is to build a strong, sustainable
foundation for the camelina industry, and creating markets for
both oil and meal is essential.”
The jet fuel market has emerged as a strong business opportunity
for camelina oil and camelina producers. Johnson said that
virtually all of the camelina oil produced by Sustainable Oils
in 2009 will be used to produce aviation fuel and green diesel
for further market development.
A recent life cycle analysis (LCA) of jet fuel create from
camelina seeds conducted at Michigan Tech University in
conjunction with UOP, a Honeywell Company, and Sustainable Oils
found that the renewable fuel reduces carbon emissions by 80
percent compared to petroleum jet fuel. In January, Japan
Airlines (JAL) conducted a successful demonstration flight using
a sustainable biofuel primarily produced from camelina.
Sustainable Oils has contracted camelina meal, a by-product of
camelina oil extraction, for sale to poultry broiler production.
Camelina meal can be a valuable source of protein for livestock
and poultry producers. With protein levels of 40 percent or
more, it provides similar overall protein as soybean meal with
the added benefits of camelina's unique amino acid and fatty
acid profile.
The company is working with other members of the North America
Camelina Trade Association (NACTA), to secure regulatory
approvals for feeding camelina meal. Earlier this year, the FDA
issued a letter allowing the use of camelina meal in the diets
of chicken broilers up to 10 percent of the weight of the total
ration. NACTA members are working with the FDA and the American
Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to secure
“Generally Recognized as Safe" certification for poultry and
additional livestock species such as swine, beef cattle, and
dairy cattle.
“We're excited about the 2009 camelina crop that is currently
planted across Montana and southern Canada,” said Johnson. “We
received an excellent response from growers this year and are
looking forward to offering contracts for significantly more
acres in 2010.”
Growers who are interested in additional information or
contracting opportunities for the 2010 growing season should
register on the Sustainable Oils web site at
http://www.susoils.com/.
Sustainable Oils has the largest camelina research program in
the nation. The company's camelina breeding program began in
2005 and has steadily expanded to include more than 40 trials
across North America in 2008. The company is also evaluating
more than 90 breeding populations of camelina to analyze
agronomic and oil qualities and to develop new high-yielding
varieties.
About Sustainable Oils
Sustainable Oils, Inc. is a producer and marketer of renewable,
environmentally clean, and high-value camelina-based biodiesel.
A joint venture between Targeted Growth, Inc., a renewable
energy bioscience company, and Green Earth Fuels, a vertically
integrated biodiesel energy company, Sustainable Oils is focused
on the continued research and development of dedicated energy
crops such as camelina. Sustainable Oils solidly supports both
agricultural and green energy initiatives with camelina, which
is efficiently and economically grown even on marginal lands,
harvested with traditional equipment, and requires minimal
water.
About Targeted Growth
Targeted Growth uses agricultural bioscience to enable the long
term success of renewable fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol.
This includes technology that improves the traits of crops
themselves (yield increases, drought resistance, fertilizer
requirements, etc.) and the ultimate performance of those crops
once converted into biofuels (efficiency of refining, fuel
performance characteristics). In addition, the company also
develops, grows and markets biofuel specific crops (such as
camelina) that are optimized and continually improved for use
specifically as a feedstock for biofuels. The company has
strategic partnerships with leading researchers and
agribusinesses around the world. Targeted Growth is based in
Seattle, Washington, with labs in Seattle, Saskatchewan, Ottawa
and New Brunswick. More information is available at
www.targetedgrowth.com.
About Green Earth Fuels
Green Earth Fuels is a global, vertically integrated biodiesel
energy company providing the requisite product quality,
scalability, and streamlined logistics to reliably supply
leading energy companies with renewable, environmentally clean
and high-value biodiesel fuel and byproducts. Led by a team of
energy industry veterans with decades of experience in global
energy development and energy portfolio management, Green Earth
Fuels is based in Houston, Texas, and is majority owned by
Riverstone Holdings, LLC, The Carlyle Group, and Goldman Sachs.
More information is available at
http://www.greenearthfuelsllc.com/. |
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