Processor Preferred® seed is Monsanto's commitment to ethanol. It is a total supply chain solution that starts with selecting High Fermentable Corn (HFC) hybrids for their high ethanol yield capabilities, continues by providing marketing and technical support to processors and growers, and extends to efforts to help build ethanol infrastructure.
Processor Preferred HFC Hybrids can help reduce American reliance on foreign oil due to the following:
- One acre of corn can produce more than 420 gallons of ethanol (1)
- In 2006, U.S. ethanol volume displaced about 170 million barrels of imported crude oil, valued at $11 billion (2)
- Ethanol supports the creation of more than 153,000 jobs in all sectors of the economy, according to the RFA
- By 2015, over 5 billion bushels of corn could go to producing over 15 billion gallons of ethanol
More Bushels Per Acre, More Gallons Per Bushel
Processor Preferred HFC hybrids are selected for their strong agronomic characteristics and high ethanol yield. These hybrids have delivered proven performance across the Corn Belt. Their traits and genetics maximize yield potential and have higher levels of fermentable starch, which can increase ethanol production by 2% to 4%. In addition, Monsanto provides technological support to processors to help monitor the fermentability of the inbound corn to improve ethanol production.
More to Help the Environment
When ethanol from corn grain is used as fuel, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 10 - 50% relative to gasoline (3, 4). In addition, no-tillage or reduced tillage farming, a practice enabled by Roundup Ready® crops, significantly improves the environmental profile of corn-based ethanol (4).
To learn more about ethanol, visit these sites:
1. Assumptions: corn yield of 150 bu/acre - 07/08 estimate, 2.8 gallons/bushel (USDA projections); 420 gallons of ethanol.
2. EIA 2007 Outlook.
3. Source: Farrell AE, Plevin RJ, Turner BT, Jones AD, O'Hare H, Kammen DM (2006), Science 311:506-508
4. Sources: Adler PR, Grosso SJ, Partonc WJ (2006) 17:675-691. Kim S., Dale B.E. (2005) 28:475-489
