Crop breeding technology provider Chromatin has inked a multi-year supply agreement with US-based ethanol producer Calgren Renewable Fuels.
As per the terms of the agreement, Chromatin will produce and deliver locally grown sorghum, which is to be employed in the production of fuel ethanol and distiller’s grains.
The agreement covers up to 30,000 acres of Chromatin sorghum that will grown and supplied to Calgren over the course of the multi-year contract.
Chromatin chief executive officer Daphne Preuss said that the partnership will enable the company to expand the use of locally-grown sorghum crops in California for the production of energy-efficient biofuels.
Calgren president Lyle Schlyer said, "In areas of the Central Valley with water constraints and higher alkalinity soil sorghum looks like an especially good choice.
"In addition, preliminary tests suggest the protein level of our distiller’s grains may improve a bit.
"We like the prospect of giving local farmers and dairies better options," added Schlyer.
The EPA recently identified conditions in which sorghum, as an energy efficient feedstock, can qualify for the financial incentives related to the production of advanced biofuels.