Ceres now harvesting switchgrass and sorghum seeds for marketing under Blade Bioenergy Crops brand

Biofuels Digest
September 08, 2009 Jim Lane

In California, Ceres announced that it has commenced its first harvests of switchgrass and sorghum seeds and expects to harvest 10 tons of switchgrass seed per acre, according to a Greentech report. The seeds will be marketed under the Blade Bioenergy Crops brand and are drawn from varietals in Texas and the Midwest that were cross bred for high yield and drought resistance.

The company has been working withTexas A&M University, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, South Dakota State University and the USDA in developing the varietals. The company, which is also launching two sorghum varietals this fall, has not named the customers for its seeds.

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Ceres offers biomass seed

Biomass Magazine
December 2008
By Ryan C. Christiansen
Web exclusive posted Dec. 15, 2008 at 4:04 p.m. CST

Under the Blade Energy Crops label, Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based energy crop development company Ceres Inc. has begun selling seed to grow switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum. The switchgrass seed is being sold by weight and the sorghum seed is being sold by count, according to Frank Hardimon, sales director for the Blade label. He said selling sorghum seed by count mirrors the industry practice for corn and soy. “This allows producers to purchase only the amount of seed they need rather than having to overbuy to cover variations in seeds per pound,” he said. Hardimon said the switchgrass seed will be sold in pounds of pure live seed rather than bulk weight so that customers can purchase only viable seeds.

The Blade seed products include two improved switchgrass seed varieties, EG 1101 and EG 1102, adapted for the southern and middle ranges of the U.S. The varieties are high-biomass-yield seed which has been bred for better establishment in high rainfall areas. Hardimon said the varieties have shown superior conversion characteristics in both biochemical and thermochemical processes. Other switchgrass varieties are also available for mid- and northern climates, he said.

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Ceres Introduces the First Seed Brand for Bioenergy Crops

Press Release
Source: Ceres, Inc.

Tuesday April 29, 3:00 pm ET

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. plans to market its agricultural seeds and traits under the trade name Blade Energy Crops in the United States. Company president and CEO Richard Hamilton unveiled the new brand at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in Chicago earlier today.

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