Western Illinois University

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. a Reliable, Sustainable, and Secure Biofuels Industry in the U.s. Requires a Diverse Portfolio of Feedstocks. Dedicated Industrial Crops Which Can Be Easily Converted to Drop-in Fuels Are Limited in the Midwest Region. to Address This, Our Program Will Develop the Oilseed Plant Pennycress (thlaspi Arvense) to Be Grown as a Winter-annual Cash Cover Crop Throughout the U.s. Midwest Corn Belt and in Other Temperate-region Cropping Systems. Pennycress Is a Unique High-yielding Oilseed Crop That Can Be Grown to: (1) Provide Environmental Benefits Including Reducing Nitrogen Runoff and Soil Erosion From Farm Fields While Providing Early-season Food Sources for Pollinating Insects, (2) Generate Income Thereby Encouraging Adoption and Strengthening Rural Communities, (3) Integrate Seamlessly Into Existing Corn-soybean Rotations, and (4) Yield Up to 2 Billion Gallons of Oil Annually That Can Be Easily Converted to Biofuels. Our Program Will Specifically Focus on Pennycress Variety Improvement, Agronomic Management, Environmental Impacts Assessment, and Supply Chain Seed Management. We Will Develop Education and Extension Networks That Enhance Pennycress Adoption and Profitability by Providing Science-based Guidance to Producers and Other Stakeholders, Training Farmers, Workers, and Scientists, and Highlighting New Career Opportunities. We Fully Expect That by the End of This Five-year Project to Have Established a Set of Management Criteria to Successfully Commercialize Pennycress as a Dedicated Oilseed Biofuel Feedstock Grown in Multiple Midwestern States. This Will Include Tools and Documented Knowledge to (1) Aid the Seed Industry in Developing a Reliable Seed-source for Planting, (2) Provide Extension Educators and Crop Consultants With Information Needed to Help Farmers Manage Pennycress Production, (3) Provide Farmers, Oil Processors, and Livestock Producers With Necessary Information to Successfully Produce and Process Pennycress Seed Oil for the Biodiesel and Aviation Fuel Industry, and (4) Use the Spent Seed Meal as a Livestock Feed Ingredient. Since We Recognize the Need for Regionally-adjusted Agronomic Practices, a Strong Emphasis Will Be Placed on Working Directly With Producers and Industry. the Use of Pennycress as a Cash Cover Crop Will Positively Impact the Profitability of Production Agriculture, Decrease Soil Erosion and Nutrient Runoff Thereby Protecting Water Systems, Support Pollinator Health and Biodiversity, Increase Energy Security by Diversifying the NATION'S Energy Portfolio, Help Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Related Climate Change, and Contribute to the Economic Health of Rural Communities.