This summer, the United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff will again let the power of tractor pulling tell the story of soy biodiesel. The checkoff will help co-sponsor the 82-event National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) season for 2009 as a way of demonstrating the benefits of soy biodiesel, a homegrown, environmentally friendly and renewable biofuel, to thousands of diesel users.

As part of its sponsorship, the soybean checkoff will supply NTPA with enough biodiesel to power pulling sleds and some tractors and track-grooming equipment at select events. Plus, all NTPA on-road vehicles will run on biodiesel blends. High-performance vehicles can realize the same benefits as any other vehicle running on soy biodiesel: increased lubricity, the highest BTU content of any alternative fuel, high cetane and the best energy return of any liquid fuel.

“NTPA tractor pulls offer audiences full of diesel users who are either very knowledgeable about biodiesel or have a lot of questions about biodiesel,” says Russ Carpenter, USB director and a soybean farmer from Trumansburg, NY. “We get to talk to a lot of farmers, a lot of truck drivers and a lot of industry people who are interested in biodiesel.”

The checkoff’s sponsorship also includes soy biodiesel track signage, public address announcements and advertisements during NTPA’s Championship Pulling Series on RFD-TV and in the NTPA’s official publication, THE PULLER. Finally, checkoff farmer-leaders will be available to inform pull attendees of the benefits of soy biodiesel at an exhibit during the following six NTPA Grand National tractor pulls: