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In 2010, 0.5 million gallons of diesel were purchased in Vermont at an
average of $3.16 a gallon, spending approximately $191 million. In
order to curb the environmental impact and financial cost of this
consumption, some farmers in the state have begun to produce their own
biodiesel from oil seed crops grown on their land. There are currently
4 on-farm biodiesel production operations in the state of Vermont and
that number continues to grow as biodiesel technology improves and more
farmers learn of its benefits. One of the leaders in biodiesel
production in Vermont is State Line Farm in North Bennington.
Heather Darby: So many farms first started in Vermont making
biodiesel from used vegetable oil and it was actually here on this
farm, at State Line Farm in Vermont where John Williamson asked that
question, "can we grow our own oil and if we can do that we can truly
become sustainable with our own fuel production."
Locally-produced biofuels provide many benefits to the state, farmers
and the nation. They help reduce our dependence on foreign oil as well
as our impact on the environment. In addition, home-grown biodiesel
provides farmers with fuel price and supply stability, as well as a
usable stock feed. John Willilamson of State Line Farm in Vermont
elaborates.
John Williamson : We use probably a couple thousand gallons of fuel a
year in our machines. So we have combines and farm tractors that we
run biodiesel year round on. So it's been working out great.
With the assistance of the University of Vermont's agriculture outreach
program and a partnering farm, Williamson was able to purchase his oil
press.
John Williamson: Our cost are somewhere in the neighborhood of between $3 and
$3.50 depending on which crops your growing and what the value of the
grain is worth at the time and, of course, what the value the of fuel is
worth at the time.
As Heather Darby from UVM extension explains, thanks to State Line Farm
and other innovative farmers in Vermont producing on farm biodiesel has
proven to be a smart investment.
That's where we've been over the last five to six years, is truly
figuring out what will it cost a farmer to produce from essentially the
field to the fuel tank, fuel and does it make economic sense to do that
is it actually a viable practice for the farm and you know would a farm
be able to afford to purchase the proper equipment to be able to do
this and the answer is yes. You know, what we found through our
research projects working with real farms in Vermont is that farms can
produce diesel fuel and this includes all the cost of starting up a
facility for under $2.00 a gallon. You know, and of course the
numbers ranged from 99 cents a gallon upwards to $3.00 a gallon but in
the end it was still cheaper than the price of buying diesel fuel right
now. So with that said, you know, the challenges becomes can a farmer
get a loan, can he get the proper insurance needed to start up a
facility like this, like a producing fuel, so now that the university
and the farmers have worked together to build working models there are
examples out there. So now the banks, granters etc. can look at
working models. know that it works and they feel more confident in
investing in other systems like this.
Williamson has found his biodiesel project so successful he plans to
expand his production to one thousand acres of oilseed crops, and he
encourages other farmers to do the same.
John Williamson : When my grandfather bought the place he grew oats and
a portion of those oats fed his horses and those horses were his power
that took him to town or pulled his plow and we're kind of doing the
same now it's just a different horse power, a different technology.
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