Minnesota company investing into biofuel alternatives research

(St. Paul, MN) -- A Minnesota company will be funding research into crops that could be used to create alternatives to biofuels.  

Cargill announced this week that it will give two-point-five-million dollars to the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota. The money will go toward studying winter camelina and domesticated winter pennycress, two crops that can be used for seed-based oil. Researchers say the two crops can be planted in the winter to help stop soil erosion and protect water quality. The seeds can then be refined as a replacement for diesel and jet fuel, providing new revenue for Minnesota farmers.

The grant covers five years of research on the initiative.