News

Growing biodiesel industry benefits soy growers

Increased biodiesel production and demand is benefiting US soybean growers.

Greg Anderson, a board member for National Biodiesel Board, says the growth is increasing demand for soybean oil, the primary feedstock for biodiesel.

“We grow billions of bushels of soybeans which result in billions of pounds of soybean oil and just last year we used over 8 billion pounds of soybean oil in the production of biodiesel and we’ve seen over the last 10 years that biodiesel demand for soybean oil has increased some 300 percent,” he says. “What this does is bring value back to the farmgate. Our value price per bushel of soybeans is greater because of demand for soybean oil and that’s a good thing for America’s farmers.”

The Nebraska Farmer uses biodiesel on his farm because of its performance and cetane rating. He tells Brownfield it is comparable and sometimes better than petroleum diesel.

“I use biodiesel year round—I’ve had no issues with cold flow and we just see that biodiesel is a superior product that is building confidence among many fleet managers and users across the country in a multitude of different ways,” he says.

Brownfield spoke to Anderson during the National Biodiesel Board virtual conference.

Audio: Greg Anderson