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Growth in the biodiesel, renewable diesel industry benefits soy growers

Soybean growers are seeing the benefits of a growing biodiesel and renewable diesel industry.

Central Illinois farmer Rob Shaffer, a board member for Clean Fuels Alliance America, says the industry is increasing demand for soybean oil, the primary feedstock for biodiesel.

“Biodiesel returns back to my farm 11 percent of the price of a soybean,” he says.

East Central Kansas farmer Bob Haselwood tells Brownfield “the biodiesel industry has progressed over the years. It’s always helped the processors by adding some value to the soybean oil and right now there’s estimates the biodiesel and renewable diesel is adding $1.80 to soybeans.”

East Central Iowa farmer David Walton, a Clean Fuels Alliance America board member, says he sees the value of biodiesel firsthand on his farm.

“As a soybean grower it’s always been important to me to support my own products. For over 10 years we’ve burned biodiesel on the farm,” he says. “We burn roughly B20 in the summertime and around B5 or B10 in the wintertime and we’ve seen no issues with it, and we think our equipment runs a little better on biodiesel versus straight petroleum diesel.”

Shaffer also uses biodiesel on his farm.

“On my farm I run 20 parent biodiesel year-round to put that crop in the ground, till the crop, combine it, and haul it to town,” he says.

Brownfield interviewed Shaffer, Haselwood, and Walton during the 2022 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Las Vegas.