BASF launches low carbon intensity crops program for corn destined for ethanol

In North Carolina, BASF has launched xarvio BIOENERGY, an innovative low carbon intensity crops program that lowers, tracks and documents CI levels in corn grown for ethanol biofuel production in the U.S. xarvio BIOENERGY offers the biofuel production supply chain – growers, retail agronomists and biorefineries – a quality assured and complete, end-to-end solution. It complies with the U.S. Government’s Department of Energy (DOE) GREET (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies) model, and enables participants to improve business performance and access Government incentives aimed at reducing CI levels and enhancing environmental sustainability.
At its core, the program uses the advanced agronomic intelligence of xarvio FIELD MANAGER to deliver timely, field and field-zone specific agronomic recommendations including seeding rates, fertilizer application, and crop protection strategies directly linked to CI reduction. These recommendations are aimed at continually lowering CI levels by optimizing input efficiency, while retaining plant health and maximizing yield.
The recommendations from xarvio FIELD MANAGER are powered by a unique Agronomic Decision Engine (ADE), with locally calibrated machine learning based plant growth, pest and disease models that have been confirmed in field trials. By integrating the models with data including historic farm records, soil type and quality, current satellite biomass images and weather station information, the ADE continuously refines its advice to support sustainable practices. The platform also enables the generation of tailored variable application maps for seeding, fertilizer, and crop protection tasks, which target field areas offering the highest yield potential. The maps can be shared directly with farm machinery terminals and are automatically recorded on task execution. This precision enables the consistent monitoring of CI levels and optimized input use, ensuring compliance, improving traceability and reducing environmental impacts. More importantly, it delivers greater transparency for CI verification, which is then undertaken by an independent consultancy in accordance with the U.S. Government’s 45-z Clean Fuel Production Credit.