Camelina, an oilseed that is little-known in the Midwest, could be a profit-turning partner with soybeans in the upper Midwest, says a study highlighted by the American Society of Agronomy. The “emerging biofuel crop … is well-suited as a cover crop in the Midwest,” says Farm Futures, noting the possibility of growing a biofuel and a food crop on the same land in the same year. Camelina has a short enough growing season to allow farmers to follow with a traditional fall-harvested crop such as soybeans.
According to the study, soybean yields are lower when grown as a relay crop that is planted while camelina is still growing, or double-cropped after camelina is harvested. The combined seed-oil output of the crops was up to 50-percent higher than single-crop soybeans. “Net economic returns for the relay-crop treatments were competitive with that of the full-season soybean …. Results indicate that dual cropping of winter camelina with soybean is agronomically viable for the upper Midwest and might be an attractive system to growers seeking a ‘cash’ cover crop,” say the authors, who ran a three-year test in west-central Minnesota.