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Spring Camelina Production Guide
The Spring Camelina Production Guide for the Central High Plains is now available for download. The guide was produced by Blue Sun with the support of ACRE, Advancing Colorado's Renewable Energy.

Camelina is a promising new crop for the High Plains region. Please download the guide for more details.

Brochure Download
(PDF, 1.4MB)


Agricultural Research
Oilseed R&D differentiates Blue Sun from other producers in the biodiesel industry.

Blue Sun's agriculture research and development plan is focused on developing low-cost oilseed crops that are well-adapted to the hot, semi-arid growing conditions of the High Plains. Blue Sun estimates that these new types of oilseed crops - our R&D includes winter and spring varieties of camelina and canola - can significantly reduce production costs of biodiesel over the mid- to long-term.  This is crucial since the cost of feedstock represents approximately 75% of the total cost of biodiesel fuels. Blue Sun’s dryland agriculture strategy represents a significant opportunity to increase the use of domestically-grown biodiesel in North America.

  • Blue Sun harvested more than one million lbs of canola and camelina from crop production in Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming during 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

  • Blue Sun maintains a conventional oilseed breeding facility in Torrington, Wyoming that currently has more than 1,600 experimental lines which include winter and spring canola and winter and spring camelina.

  • Advanced material is evaluated in regional and national performance trials. Currently available cultivars are 1) Wichita (winter canola) and 2) Cheyenne (spring camelina).

Blue Sun has been awarded several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants to breed and commercialize (without genetic modification) new proprietary oilseed varieties for biodiesel production. Blue Sun's crops are bred for improved yield potential and yield reliability.

Yield reliability is improved by selecting superior experimental lines over an 8-year elimination process. Resulting commercial cultivars are regionally adapted to harsh temperature extremes, thus providing the most reliable yield from year to year and top yield potential.

An additional benefit for regional farmers is the opportunity to grow biodiesel crops on unused cropland during the winter wheat crop rotation, adding profit to the farmers' bottom line and increasing the total productivity of the land.

Expert Researchers
Charlie Rife, Ph.D., former Research Assistant Professor and Project Leader of Canola Breeding at Kansas State University, joined Blue Sun full time as Blue Sun's Oilseed Crop Scientist and plant breeder in 2004. Dr. Rife leads Blue Sun's oilseed crop identification and testing program, working with top researchers at Kansas State, Colorado State University, the University of Wyoming, and the University of Nebraska.

For more information on Progressive Producers NonStock Cooperative in Nebraska please contact Dan Laursen:
dlaursen@bbc.net

For more information on Blue Sun Producers, Inc. in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, Oklahoma, or Montana, please contact us using our online contact form.

Currently available from Blue Sun
Wichita
OP Winter Canola. Excellent yield stability.
Cheyenne
 OP Spring Camelina. Good yield under extreme water-limited conditions.

New varieties coming soon.

Contact Ryan Lafferty to purchase Blue Sun cultivars:
ryan@goBlueSun.com