Image source: Corteva Agriscience

Bunge Chevron Ag Renewables and Corteva Agriscience are giving about 20 farmers in Tennessee and Kentucky agronomic support to introduce winter canola to the region. This project may help meet the increasing demand for renewable fuel.

The companies backing the project estimate that winter canola acreage in the area could grow from the 5,000 acres in production this year in Kentucky and Tennessee to millions of acres in the next decade. The growing region could include southern Illinois, northern Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri.

The companies plan to expand their efforts year over year to help fuel demand from the biofuels market. The U.S. Canola Association says farmers currently grow about two million acres of canola annually. In 2021 and 2022, approximately 1.4 billion pounds of canola oil were used in biofuels.

Read more about winter canola being introduced to the mid-South here.