Winter camelina attracts growers who might not otherwise be looking at conservation-focused practices because they’re initially interested in the market opportunity. Once they start evaluating the crop, they often see the soil health and agronomic benefits alongside the revenue potential.

Anna Teeter

Anna Teeter is the Novel Oilseed Program Manager at Cargill. She specializes in agronomy for novel oilseed crops including winter camelina. She is based in Minnesota and works statewide. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your background?

Anna: I got my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin in agronomy and life sciences communications– that’s how I was led into this work. One really cool thing I got to do as an undergraduate student was being a crop scout for a season in Appleton, Wisconsin. I met some forward-thinking soil health focused farmers and saw their practices firsthand rather than in classes, which changed my opinion on what good farming practices look like and why producers might implement certain practices.

I got my MS at the University of Wisconsin in soil science. My first role after graduating was with National Corn Growers Association in a non-profit division called the Soil Health Partnership. That role was focused on collecting field research comparing conventional practices with soil health practices, and looking at biological and economic factors to see if soil health practices provide benefits to farmers based here in Minnesota.

After that I started working with Cargill, and I have been here for five years. I started as a conservation agronomist with Cargill RegenConnect, which is a regenerative agriculture program where I worked with growers to implement practices like reduced tillage and cover crops. I’ve been in my current role as the Novel Oilseed Program Manager at Cargill for the last two and half years. I manage our winter camelina program working individually with farmers and doing trainings for groups.

For people who have never heard of it, what is winter camelina?

Anna: Winter camelina is an overwintering brassica related to canola. It’s a short season crop that is planted in the fall about the same time as winter wheat or cereal rye, and harvested in mid-June or later as you move north. Because it grows between traditional crop seasons, it can create additional oil production without displacing food crops or requiring additional land. What many farmers find interesting is that it can function like a cover crop during the winter while also creating a potential revenue opportunity.

How can planting winter camelina be environmentally beneficial?

Anna: From a conservation perspective, winter camelina is a very engaging opportunity for farmers because it covers a lot of soil health building strategies. Winter camelina can support diversification, reduces tillage passes, scavenges and protects nutrients, and creates pollinator and wildlife benefits. It also helps with weed suppression and soybean cyst nematode suppression.

Winter Camelina is also a really great cover crop before corn. It has a lower C to N ratio than cereal rye, at 20 to 1, which allows it to lessen the impact on the nitrogen in the soil that corn needs to grow compared to other cover crops. It also doesn’t carry the same disease profile as rye. Winter camelina is relatively pest and disease resistant and winter hardy, so deer and wildlife don’t like to chew on it. If folks want to try a cover crop before corn, planting camelina by itself or with oats or rye can be a good idea.

What type of farms can incorporate winter camelina into their crop rotation?

Anna: We’ve had successes with traditional farmers, but there’s more nonconventional producers interested in growing winter camelina. It works best planted after small grains and corn silage because those crops are harvested earlier in the season so they create a longer window for planting, and they also leave less residue and herbicides in the field. We do not want to tell farmers how to farm, they will figure out the best way to grow this crop.

Can winter camelina be incorporated into a rotation with corn or soy?

Anna: One thing that’s been interesting is that winter camelina attracts growers who might not otherwise be looking at conservation-focused practices because they’re initially interested in the market opportunity. Once they start evaluating the crop, they often see the soil health and agronomic benefits alongside the revenue potential.

With all of the work around developing markets for winter camelina, we have attracted more traditional producers than I worked with as a conservation agronomist. That being said, conventional growers need to make some changes on the farm if they are in a tight corn and soy rotation because there is more planning necessary for winter camelina, but that doesn’t make it impossible to incorporate it into their crop rotation. They need to look at residual herbicides, managing the stover of the crop, and looking at storage for the tiny seed.

Most traditional farmers I’ve seen planting winter camelina are double cropping with soybeans, a vegetable crop, or a short season crop like millet. Otherwise, relay cropping works by planting soybeans into fall-seeded camelina in May. With relay cropping, soybeans grow under the canopy of winter camelina, and that system allows you to get two crop harvests in the season and increases overall return on investment for the field.

We’re still learning alongside farmers as we figure out where camelina fits best and what support growers need to be successful. That’s one reason we’ve spent so much time working directly with growers and sharing lessons learned across the network.

Another interesting conversation with traditional farmers is the concern about soybean cyst nematode. A benefit of winter camelina is that it is not a host for the nematode, so planting it keeps the population down or even decreases it. It acts similar to a resistant variety of soybean, and that translates to real dollars for farmers which I find exciting. I also find weed reduction benefits with producers, because if you get a good stand of camelina it does a good job of competing with certain weeds. I get comments from growers that it suppresses weeds such as amaranth, pigweed, lambs quarter and kochia.

Are there unique considerations for harvesting winter camelina?

Anna: We’ve connected with producers across the state to share their ideas for harvesting winter camelina, and I’ve seen a few different strategies be successful. If you’re a corn and soybean grower, you’ll want to retrofit your combine by using your soybean header, tightening your concaves, lowering the fan speed, and adding a sieve or screen to prevent the tiny seeds from being lost out of the combine during harvest. If you grow wheat or small grains there’s less retrofitting required for harvest because your combine is already equipped to handle small grains, but a screen over your sieve can help.

What are the storage options for winter camelina?

Anna: There’s a couple options. A hopper bottom bin is the safest bet for preventing loss or issues with handling, but since winter camelina is a high oil content seed, I recommend moving or rotating it if it is inside a bin with no air flow. Monitor your grain moisture and temperature– spoiled grain is a headache that no one wants to mess with.

I’ve also seen concrete bottom bins without air floors being used to store camelina, which works if it is stored the same way they pack sugar beets with semi circle aeration tubes with window screens to keep seed in place.

What markets exist for winter camelina?

Anna: Today, the strongest market interest for winter camelina is as a feedstock for renewable fuels. However, there’s also interest in the health industry and for bio industrial applications. That industry uses smaller volumes of the oil, which is a good thing because it allows byproduct access. To sell the crop for biofuels we are often talking about twenty to fifty acres at a minimum, so it’s important we have other markets interested in smaller volumes to build stability in the market.

What considerations should farmers make when signing up for cost-share programs or crop insurance for winter camelina?

Anna: An important consideration for those interested in winter camelina is thinking about using federal and cost-share dollars for the crop. Before signing up for programs like Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) with Natural Resources Conservation Service, folks need to know if they will terminate or harvest camelina, because that impacts the practice standard you qualify for. If you plan to harvest winter camelina, you should sign up for these programs with the crop diversification practice standard 328. If you sign up for these programs with the practice standard 340 for cover crops, you cannot harvest winter camelina because that will void the contract.

With crop insurance, I recommend that farmers plant at least twenty acres of winter camelina to be able to report yield averages and make sure they are providing enough information for crop insurance coverage after three years. For crop insurance questions, I always recommend talking with your crop insurance provider early in the planning process. Requirements and available coverage can vary, and it’s important to understand how camelina fits within your overall operation and reporting requirements.

Who can farmers connect with for support growing winter camelina?

Anna: Farmers can reach out to me, and I am more than happy to connect them with producers that are experienced with camelina in their region. In addition, UMN Forever Green team has two agronomists; Matt Leavitt and Ben Penner, who have grown camelina for years and have great experience to offer. We are also training some folks in the ag industry, such as agronomists working for cooperatives or ag retailors, to be able to help producers grow winter camelina.

Another thing I like to recommend is that if you have neighbors you trust and work well with, it’s good idea to collaborate. For example, if one farmer has a bin and another has the planter, those farmers can team up to share resources and bounce ideas off each other for success, which also makes it a more fun experience. I found that works nicely so if it’s accessible I encourage it.

What are you looking forward to in the 2026 growing season?

Anna: I’m excited to see more growers interested in camelina. Margins are tight right now and farmers are stressed. We believe in our program and are growing our acres, so I’m looking forward to continuing this work amidst the farm environment of today.

How can farmers stay in touch with the latest news and updates about winter camelina?

Anna: There’s a ton of great resources online from the University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University to learn more about winter camelina. UMN Forever Green also posts about events, research, and resources, so it’s a good idea to follow them and check their event calendar.

Farmers can reach my email directly, and they can follow me on LinkedIn where I post most frequently. The easiest way to stay in touch with Cargill’s work is to fill out the form on our website to stay up to date.

Interested in connecting with Anna about growing winter camelina? Connect with her at: anna_teeter@cargill.com or 952-742-2343

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Conservation advisors work one-on-one with farmers to assess resource concerns and find opportunities for stewardship improvements. These advisors can be found at organizations across the state, from Extension offices to Soil and Water Conservation Districts to wildlife-focused non-profits. MFU regularly features conservation advisors to share how their assistance can support your farm goals. Read more in this series here.