A new cash and cover crop might soon be a sustainable option for Midwest farmers.
John Sedbrook, a genetics professor at Illinois State University tells Brownfield many farmers will recognize pennycress as a weed.
“We have taken that weed and we have actually domesticated it into a crop that produces oilseeds similar to canola.”
He says they have received a USDA grant to commercialize domesticated pennycress, known as CoverCress, within the next 5 years as well as a Department of Energy grant to make the crop more adaptable to varying weather conditions for the best yield potential.
