Plans delayed for biodiesel crop camelina in Montana

Ambitious plans to convert millions of acres of Northern Plains farmland to grow a biodiesel crop have stalled, as competition with traditional crops and other factors constrain a promising new agricultural industry.

In Montana – the center of the fledgling camelina industry – the number of acres devoted to the oilseed crop fell by more than half this year from the 22,500 acres planted in 2007, according to preliminary federal figures.

By MATTHEW BROWN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

Full Story: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wst_biodiesel_crop_delays.html

That’s far short of what companies had anticipated. And it marks a significant setback for a crop widely touted as an ideal source of plant oils needed to make alternative fuels.