Tester: Camelina crop insurance now available in 41 Montana counties

USDA announces insurance pilot program as a result of Tester’s law

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced a pilot program to provide crop insurance for camelina. The initiative is a direct result of Tester’s Biofuel Crop Insurance Pilot Program, which he included in the most recent Farm Bill.

“This initiative will provide jobs and opportunities for Montana farmers—while bringing our entire nation closer to energy independence through home-grown, renewable resources. I’m pleased the USDA is finally putting some muscle behind my camelina law and providing Montana farmers the chance to expand this promising resource and create jobs in the process.”

Oil from crushed camelina seeds can be easily converted into biofuel. The plant grows easily in Montana, and can be rotated with more traditional crops like wheat and barley.

The new camelina insurance pilot program will be available through the USDA’s Risk Management Agency to farmers in the following counties: Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Carter, Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Daniels, Dawson, Fallon, Fergus, Garfield, Glacier, Golden Valley, Hill, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, McCone, Meagher, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sheridan, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Toole, Treasure, Valley, Wheatland, Wibaux and Yellowstone.

Tester, the Senate’s only active farmer, has pushed to offer more certainty to potential camelina growers since 2007.

Camelina production already creates jobs in Montana. In 2010, the U.S. Navy test flew an F/A 18 Super Hornet fueled by Montana-grown camelina biofuel. Bozeman-based Sustainable Oils worked with the Navy to produce 40,000 gallons of camelina biofuel for the test.

More information on Tester’s push to expand camelina production is online HERE.

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