Biodiesel for Farmers

Benefits for Farmers

One of the many benefits of biodiesel is that it can be made from a long list of oil vegetable or animal oils. The list of seed crops that convert beautifully into ASTM-D6751 grade biodiesel includes sunflower, safflower, canola, camelina, mustard seed, peanut, olive, soybean, rapeseed, jatropha, sesame, palm, cottonseed, coconut, etc. and the list continues to grow. We've selected a few interesting crops to call out below, but there are many others. See links on biodiesel made from animal tallow below.

As a result, we are seeing a growing number of farmers take the plunge and choose to make their own fuel. All a farmer needs is a BioPro™ and a seed crusher, and he can reduce his fuel operation bills significantly. We have yet to meet a farmer who isn't making their own fuel with a BioPro for less than the cost of regular diesel.

Harvest the oil seed crop, crush the seeds, collect the oil, process the oil in a BioPro, sell the remaining high-protein bran as cattle feed, and save money!

Johhny Davis (pictured at right) is doing it. Johnny is a semi-retired farmer and owner of the ARCO feedlot in DeWitt, AR. He operates a BioPro 380 and SpringPro T76 drywash system. With this set up, he is capable of producing 100 gallons every 13 hours.

He is one of several farmers in the Arkansas Delta region working to convert camelina and other winter crops into ASTM-grade biodiesel. Read more about Johnny Davis' project here.

Case Study

Colusa Indian Community Council

Location: Colusa, CA.
Acreage: 4500 acres total
Feedstock: safflower
Crops: rice, almonds, walnuts & wheat
Biodiesel equipment: BioPro 380EX, SpringPro DM380, Chinese-made seed press.
Number of gallons of diesel and/or biodiesel needed to run farm/year: 100,000
Number of gallons of biodiesel expected to make in 2010? As many as possible. They have already dedicated 42 acres to safflower. They intend to expand that number to 200 acres
Blend percentage: B20 - B100
Equipment biodiesel is used in: Tractors, trucks, contracting equipment
Source: safflower, sunflower screenings AND WVO reclaimed from Colusa Casino.
Costs: (tilling, pesticides, chemical inputs, reaping, labor, depreciation) Approx. $1.50/gallon Scott and Paul are experimenting with a variety of different feedstocks. They can make 200 gallons ASTM grade fuel every day.

Case Study

Wedeberg Family Farm

Location: La Farge, WI
Acreage: 220 tillable, 190 pasture
Crops: Corn, hay, small grain, and sunflowers, 50 cows
Equipment: BioPro 380 + Kern Kraft 40 seed press
Total # of gallons of diesel and/or biodiesel needed to run farm per year: 2700
Biodiesel made and used per year: 700 gallons
Blend percentage: B20- B100
Equipment biodiesel used in: John Deere 4430, 4640, 5425, 4020 x4

2009 Wedeberg Study

Inputs	Type	Cost/Acre
Crop	Sunflower
Acres	8
Fuel to plow, cultivate, harvest	8.13 gallons	$24.39
Starter fertilizer		$40.00
Seed		$16.00
Custom combining		$36.56
Cash rent		$100.00
Total crop/acre		$216.95
Oil yield/acre (gallons)		76.4
Total crop cost/gallon		$2.84
BioPro inputs		$0.90
Total cost/gallon		$3.74
Revenues
Cost of diesel		$2.89
Cost of B100		$3.23
Implied savings / (Loss) vs. diesel		($0.85)
Protein meal		860 lbs/acre
Protein meal – total value/acre		$4190.00
Total savings		$1520

And, the Wedeberg's have cattle!

Savings/gallon of B100 Produced in a BioPro on 8 acres:

611 Gallons x $2.89 of diesel not purchased = $1,766 (what he would have spent on diesel)
611 gallons x 3.74 = $2285 what he DID spend on biodiesel
($519)
But feed revenue = $1520
plus $1520 of protein meal...
NET PROFIT OF $861
$1.52/gal

Case Study

James Shindelar Farms

Location: Greenfield, Iowa
Acreage: 500
Crops: corn & soybean rotation
Equipment: BioPro 380 & SpringPro T76 (making 100 gals every 29 hrs)
Number of gallons of diesel and/or biodiesel needed to run farm per year: 5,000 (10 gals/acre)
Number of gallons of biodiesel made and used per year: 8,000 (operating at 27% capacity)
Blend percentage: B100 during spring, summer & most of fall. B2-B5 in winter.
Source: Jim buys 7300 gals. soybean oil from a bean processing plant in Creston, IA (20 miles away). He also picks up 700 gals per year of free WVO from local restaurants.
Costs: when soybean oil = $0.40/lb, Jim pays…………….$3.04/gal
(Jim bought his soybean oil during "Fall lull" for $0.34/lb….$2.58/gal)
Methanol: $1.48/gallon ($0.30/gal)
Catalyst (NaOH): $0.09/gal biodiesel produced
Electricity and labor: $0.32/gal biodiesel produced
Total: $3.42/gal – factoring in 700 gals WVO
- ($3.00/gal)
- Less 25% for taxes = $2.56 (savings over diesel = 25 cents/gal.) ( = $2.25 savings over diesel = 56 cents/gal.)
- If the $1/gal federal tax credit is renewed, Jim's total will drop to $1.56/gal or $1.25 savings over diesel
- $1.25/gal or $1.56 savings over diesel

Testimonial

Farm Fuels, Inc.

Henry Smith, board member of Farm Fuels Inc. stands with FFI's BioPro™ 190EX. Farm Fuels is small business located in Watsonville, CA. that was started by organic farmers. They are currently converting mustard seed into biodiesel fuel and are looking to expand their operation with the purchse of four more mustard seed presses. Check out their Indigogo project.

Harry Smih of Farm Fuels, Inc.

Testimonial

Massa Farms

Local Farmer Greg Massa of Massa Farms just stepped up to the plate and stands here with his BioPro™ 190. Greg and his wife Raquel plan to press safflower seed to make biodiesel fuel for their farming equipment. Their plan includes selling the meal that is left over (after the oil is extruded) as cattle feed. They've taken a financially creative route to pay for the required equipment by putting up a crowd sourcing proposal. We applaud their initiative and urge anyone who can to contribute.

Greg Massa of Mass Farms