CHS to use Enogen® corn from Syngenta at its Rochelle, Illinois, bio-refinery

• Marketing agreement enables local farmers to serve as enzyme suppliers
• Farmers who grow Enogen corn are eligible to earn an additional premium per Enogen bushel
• Significant reduction in corn mash viscosity from using Enogen corn can lead to increased throughput and yield, as well as reduced energy usage, for ethanol plants

Syngenta today announced an agreement with CHS Inc. to use Enogen® corn enzyme technology at its 130-million-gallon ethanol plant in Rochelle, Illinois. CHS is a premier ethanol producer, marketer and trader and one of the nation’s largest suppliers of ethanol-enhanced gasoline.

Enogen corn enzyme technology is an in-seed innovation available exclusively from Syngenta and features the first biotech corn output trait designed specifically to enhance ethanol production. Using modern biotechnology to deliver best-in-class alpha amylase enzyme directly in the grain, Enogen corn eliminates the need to add liquid alpha amylase and can help an ethanol plant significantly reduce the viscosity of its corn mash, improving plant performance. And, numerous trials have shown that Enogen hybrids perform equal to or better than other high-performing corn hybrids¹.

Enogen corn will provide the CHS Rochelle facility with an industry-leading enzyme for enhanced ethanol production while also supporting local growers and the community. Several million dollars in premiums are expected to be paid annually to growers raising Enogen corn, locally, for the CHS plant in Rochelle.

“CHS is focused on helping its farmer-owners grow,” said Mike Van Houten, CHS Rochelle facility manager. “The Enogen program provides benefits for our plant, but is also a big win for our local community with the premium to be paid on every bushel of Enogen corn brought to us.”

CHS ethanol plants manufacture the alcohol-based renewable fuel via an advanced fermenting and distilling process that efficiently converts corn into simple sugars. The resulting ethanol product is primarily used as a fuel that is commonly blended with gasoline to increase octane and improve emissions quality. The Rochelle plant is an 81-acre, dry mill corn-based operation and was acquired by CHS in June 2014.

“The CHS Rochelle facility is a large, sophisticated ethanol bio-refinery,” said Glen Edwards, Enogen account manager for Syngenta. “We are excited to be working with the CHS team in Rochelle to help the facility there operate even more smoothly and efficiently. We are proud to be partnering with CHS help keep enzyme dollars local and invest in the local community. Syngenta is committed to the success of the ethanol industry through helping plants operate more efficiently and growers serve as enzyme suppliers.”

To inquire about incorporating Enogen into a dry grind ethanol plant, contact Jeff Oestmann at jeff.oestmann@syngenta.com. For more information about Enogen corn hybrids, contact a Golden Harvest® Seed Advisor or NK® retailer, or visit www.Enogen.com.

¹Syngenta production data, 2012-2016