Ceres Funding Switchgrass Research

Ceres Inc. will fund research by South Dakota State University into improving switchgrass, a crop used to create biofuels. The multi-year deal between Thousand Oaks-based Ceres and the university concentrates on developing higher-yield cultivars adapted to production in northern latitudes. The partnership with Ceres stimulates university research and establishes commercialization channels for the distribution of seed to South Dakota producers, said Gary Lemme, dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. This is the second agreement in recent months of Ceres funding university research. In October, Ceres announced a multi-year collaboration to develop high-biomass sorghums with Texas A & M; University.