MINNETONKA, Minn. — Syngenta recently announced it has signed a commercial agreement with Three Rivers Energy, LLC of Coshocton, Ohio, to use grain featuring Enogen trait technology following the 2014 corn harvest.
This specific kind of corn is engineered to better suit the ethanol market and provides farmers who grow it a premium of about 40 cents per bushel over other corn.
David Witherspoon, head of renewable fuels for Syngenta, said the company looks forward to extending Enogen corn into Ohio, which is the furthest east to date.
The expansion, he said, demonstrates the “growing acceptance of Enogen technology and the value it is creating for ethanol plants, farmers and local communities.
“We believe Enogen corn will help Three Rivers Energy increase its operational efficiency, provide farmers with additional revenue, and support local economic development,” he said.
About Enogen
Enogen corn is bio-engineered to express a robust form of alpha amylase enzyme in the corn kernel, eliminating the need for liquid alpha amylase in dry grind ethanol production.
By incorporating Enogen grain into its ethanol production process, an ethanol plant can drastically reduce the viscosity of its corn mash, enabling unprecedented levels of dry solids loading.
Enogen technology creates greater process flexibility in the ethanol plant to capture increased ethanol yield and throughput, and decreases costs associated with natural gas, electricity, water and chemical usage.
Jack Bernens, who is head of Enogen marketing, said their target in Ohio is about 12,000 acres for the first year. Any farmer can grow it, but they’ll need to contract with a Syngenta dealer and an ethanol plant.
Bernens said Enogen corn is safe for human and livestock use, but current grower contracts limit it for ethanol use only. Enogen is available with the same genetics and trait packages as other high-performing corn hybrids from Syngenta and no yield losses have been shown.
Enogen was introduced to the market in 2011, and today makes up about 100,000 acres nationwide, with more being brought into production.
Three Rivers Energy
Three Rivers Energy recently resumed ethanol production in Coshocton. Its sister plant, Plymouth Energy, LLC (Merrill, Iowa) signed a commercial agreement with Syngenta in the fall of 2012 to use Enogen grain, and is currently completing its first year contracting with local growers to produce Enogen corn commercially.
Three Rivers Energy and Plymouth Energy are operated by Lakeview Energy, LLC.
“This is an exciting opportunity to add value to our Three Rivers facility and to the local Coshocton community,” said Jim Galvin, CEO of Lakeview Energy. “After seeing the rapid success Plymouth Energy had contracting Enogen corn acres with area farmers this year, we wanted to explore the opportunity to work with our local farmers in Coshocton to supply Enogen grain for the Three Rivers ethanol plant.
“We like that we can purchase our alpha amylase in the form of high quality grain directly from farmers here in our community.”
Recruiting growers
Three Rivers Energy is recruiting growers to produce Enogencorn in 2014. Growers under contract will deliver their Enogen grain to the ethanol plant and will be paid an average premium of 40 cents per bushel.
“Producing Enogen corn is a unique opportunity for growers to receive a true premium for their grain and add value to their operation,” Witherspoon added. “Enogen trait technology is a win-win-win for ethanol plants, corn growers and rural communities.”
Learn more
For more information about Enogen trait technology, visit www.Enogen.net, or on Twitter and Facebook. To inquire about incorporating Enogen trait technology in your ethanol plant, contact Tim Tierney, Enogen business accounts manager, at timothy.tierney@syngenta.com or 612-656-8169.
