Bayer and BP are aiming to move “camelina” from a niche oilseed into a larger-scale biofuel feedstock. The new partnership comes as the market is still searching for low-carbon, non-food-based inputs for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. The crop is being positioned as an intermediate crop that can fit between main commodities, rather than compete directly with them.
Bayer and BP announced the alliance to commercialize and scale camelina under Bayer’s “newgold®” brand, with the push starting in North America. Energy company BP will contribute fuels and refining expertise, while Bayer will bring seed technology and its farmer network. The goal is to help build a more reliable intermediate oilseeds supply chain for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel.
The deal follows Bayer’s acquisition of camelina germplasm and intellectual property from Smart Earth Camelina in January 2025, which gave the company a stronger position in biomass-based feedstocks. Bayer has also said it is testing both long- and short-season varieties as it ramps production for a broader launch.
Sometimes called false flax or gold-of-pleasure, camelina is a cool-season oilseed in the mustard family. It’s also a short-season crop, taking just 85 to 100 days to reach maturity. Other valuable features include both cold and drought tolerance, and relatively low water and fertilizer requirements compared with many other oilseeds.
Yields vary depending on soils and rainfall. Based on University of Minnesota research, camelina will average 1,800 to 2,200 lb/acre under 16- to 18-inch rainfalls. In other dryland research trials by MSU, camelina yields averaged 1,000 to 1,700 lb/acre. Yields drop with less rainfall and increase when using irrigation. Yields on commercial farms have been approximately 800 to 1,000 lb/acre.
Camelina has typically been grown in rotation with other short-season crops like wheat and barley, but it can also be grown as an intermediate crop, or on underutilized land. That flexibility is one reason it has drawn attention from both renewable fuel companies and growers looking for additional revenue streams.
Camelina is not a new crop but it is not widely grown in the US currently. The USDA does not track camelina production so official acreage data is not available. Historically, camelina has been successfully grown in Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, western Kansas, eastern Washington, and Oregon. More recently, winter camelina varieties have gained traction in the Upper Midwest. One of the most ambitious projects comes from the University of Minnesota’s “Forever Green Initiative,” which is targeting a dramatic scaling of winter camelina to as much as 1 million in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
Notably, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) expanded its pilot crop insurance program for camelina nationwide starting with crop year 2026. From what I understand, coverage is available only for camelina grown under contract with a processor, and the price in the contract is used to establish the insurance coverage.
Bayer says it has already introduced newgold camelina in the Northern Plains of the U.S., as well as in southern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta in Canada. Bayer says its camelina is designed to act as a “profit multiplier” by giving growers the flexibility to add it to their operation where it fits best:
- As an intermediate crop, adding value between seasons.
- Within rotations, contributing to good agronomic management while diversifying income.
- On marginal or underutilized land, turning those acres into more productive assets.
The alliance will also work to develop a reliable intermediate oilseeds market to help meet the growing demand for biodiesel, renewable diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) markets, which is estimated to increase from 14 billion to 40 billion gallons by 2040. “We see this as a win for our customers and their farms, as it creates potential new revenue streams, but also a win for the renewable fuels market,” said Frank Terhorst, head of strategy and sustainability for Bayer’s Crop Science division. (Sources: Bayer, NCSU, Nevada Experiment Station, U of MN)
