Great Falls, Mont. – Camelina now qualifies for greater crop insurance coverage, thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency raising its maximum contract pricing for camelina from $.18 to $.45 per pound during the 2023 crop year. The increased camelina coverage is part of a Montana pilot project that offers Actual Production History coverage which uses a producer’s historical yield data to determine coverage amounts.
“Growers in Montana can feel enhanced security with next year’s camelina crop thanks to this coverage increase announced by the USDA,” says Barney Bernstein, vice president of Sustainable Oils, North America’s largest camelina breeding and seed company. “With this increase in insurance coverage, we hope to see more farmers taking advantage of all the benefits camelina can provide to their land and their pocketbooks.”
Sustainable Oils’ camelina varieties are drought tolerant and can mature in less than 100 days, allowing it to grow between traditional crop cycles on land that otherwise sits idle or fallow. It can be harvested using farmers' existing equipment and provides soil health benefits similar to those of cover crops. The oil from Sustainable Oils camelina grain will be used to produce ultra-low carbon renewable diesel for Global Clean Energy, Sustainable Oils’ parent company.
According to the USDA, only spring-planted camelina grown under contract with a processor is eligible for coverage, and the price in the contract is required to establish the insurance coverage.
Sustainable Oils is offering qualified first time camelina growers free planting seed this growing season, as well as substantial payments for grain. To learn more about growing Sustainable Oils camelina, visit www.SusOils.com.
