Initiative to diversify oilseed production

Delta Farm Press
Sep 26, 2008 10:26 AM
By Elton Robinson, Farm Press Editorial Staff

The Tennessee soybean producer of today could be the Tennessee oilseed producer of tomorrow if an initiative to diversify west Tennessee agriculture is successful.

The idea behind the Tennessee Oilseed Diversification Program, initiated by the Memphis Bioworks Foundation in conjunction with Frazier Barnes and Associates, is to identify high-value oilseed crops that can be produced in Tennessee, and to develop a plan to get them processed locally into bio-based products such as biodiesel.

It will take a special effort to pull together new processing technologies, willing investors and new oilseed crops. In fact, it will be a lot like starting from scratch.

“Not a single soybean processing plant operating in the United States today was designed to run multiple crops,” said Pete Moss, a bioenergy consultant with Frazier Barnes Associates, during the New Crops Field Tour held at the Agricenter International in Memphis. “What we need are plants designed to process different crops. That can be easily done if you design the plant from the front end knowing that.”

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