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On-farm use of biodiesel has room to grow

Case IH Magnum TractorTomorrow (March 18) is National Biodiesel Day and the Iowa Biodiesel Board (IBB) is taking the opportunity to remind farmers to ask for and use biodiesel as they head into spring planting.

IBB executive director Grant Kimberley says a recent survey of Iowa farmers showed only 41 percent are using biodiesel in their farming operations.

“When we asked them the number one reason why some of them aren’t using biodiesel, it’s because of lack of availability,” Kimberley says. “That’s been a challenge for the industry. It’s not available everywhere.”

But Kimberley says, in Iowa at least, that situation is improving.

“There’s some proactive state policies in place in the state of Iowa that have helped increase infrastructure and availability of biodiesel,” he says. “Also, there’s some policies in place to help reduce even the cost of biodiesel, so in most cases it’s less expensive than diesel fuel.”

The IBB is challenging every farmer in Iowa to request that their fuel distributor offer biodiesel blends this spring. Kimberley says research from Informa Economics shows biodiesel adds 74 cents a bushel to the price of soybeans. And the increase in demand for soybean oil also benefits livestock farmers by lowering soybean meal feed costs for livestock producers by at least 25 dollars per ton.

AUDIO: Grant Kimberley

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