Per the U.S. Canola Association, winter canola is a type of canola that is planted in the fall and harvested in the early summer. It's a cold-tolerant oilseed crop grown in warmer regions of the United States such as the Southern Great Plains.
According to Bayer, winter canola can be used as a new alternative rotational crop. It helps sequester carbon in the soil and can improve soil health by increasing its organic matter content and water-holding capacity, leading to enhanced soil fertility and productivity.
As a renewable fuel, winter canola can play a key role in decarbonizing the transportation sector as electrification will take time in hard-to-abate sectors, such as aviation. Renewable fuels have a lower carbon intensity than fossil fuels and can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle compared to traditional fossil fuels. They also provide farmers with new revenue streams through the cultivation of biomass-based feedstocks.
Bayer and Neste, a producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel, announced they will jointly scale winter canola as a biomass-based feedstock for renewable products like biofuels. Within the collaboration, the companies will develop a winter canola ecosystem in the Southern region of the United States, including product development and additional collaborations to enable Bayer to enter this market.
Bayer aims to launch its winter canola in 2027. Leading up to the launch, Bayer will work with Neste, the value chain, and farmers to introduce winter canola as a biomass-based feedstock. Bayer and Neste expect to finalize a definitive agreement this year.
What People Are Saying
Frank Terhorst, Head of Strategy & Sustainability for Bayer’s Crop Science Division: “Renewable fuels are playing an important role in the decarbonization of transportation and energy while global targets continue to shape biofuel markets and accelerate demand for biomass-based feedstocks going forward. We are committed to supporting farmers’ ability to deliver low-carbon feedstocks on demand, through investments in new crops like winter canola and advancements in sustainable cropping systems.”
Artturi Mikkola, Senior Vice President, Feedstock Sourcing & Trading at Neste: “This collaboration with Bayer strengthens our strategy to develop together with value chain partners regenerative agriculture concepts that can be scaled up and can play an important role in diversifying and growing the raw materials pool for all of our renewable products. We believe winter canola can bring environmental benefits to cropping systems and result in lower carbon intensity feedstocks that help replace fossil resources with renewable raw materials.”
About the Author
Amanda Joshi | Managing Editor
Amanda Joshi has more than 18 years of experience in business-to-business publishing for both print and digital content. Before joining Chemical Processing, she worked with Manufacturing.net and Electrical Contracting Products. She’s a versatile, award-winning editor with experience in writing and editing technical content, executing marketing strategy, developing new products, attending industry events and developing customer relationships.
Amanda graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2001 with a B.A. in English and has been an English teacher. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and daughter, and their mini Aussiedoodle, Riley. In her rare spare time, she enjoys reading, tackling DIY projects, and horseback riding.
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