Biofuels company set to double acreage under contract with farmers in Montana, North Dakota

A biofuels company says it is on track to almost double the number of acres it has under contract with farmers in Montana and North Dakota this year.

The Tuesday announcement from Sustainable Oils signals that the fledgling camelina industry is slowly expanding in the Northern Plains.

Sustainable Oils has an agreement to provide camelina-based fuel to the U.S. military for pilot alternative energy programs. Representative Mike Waring says the company will contract for about 10,000 acres of camelina in 2010.

That’s up from about 5,600 acres last year.

Camelina was used historically in Europe for lamp oil, but was relatively unknown in the United States and Canada until a recent revival. It needs minimal water to grow and tolerates extreme cold weather — making it well-suited for the arid Northern Plains.

      -- From The Great Falls Tribune

Also see stories in:

• The Billings Gazette
• The Missoulian
• Helena Independent Record