Originally, MSU AgBioResearch scientists Dennis Miller and Russ Freed teamed up with farmers, biofuel production experts and Extension agents to produce biofuel from canola. The project began in 2007 when Miller and Dan Blackledge, a farmer from Marion discussed the idea.

AgBioResearch scientist Dennis Miller is assisting in efforts to refine canola for use as a food oil. Canola Oil Industry Cooking In Michigan

Canola was thought to have potential as a biofuel because canola seeds contain more than 40% oil – a much higher percentage than soybeans or corn. The first obstacle was growing canola profitably in Michigan. Michigan farmers had grown canola in the 1980s, but production decreased dramatically because of the lack of processing plants in the state. The canola grown in northern Michigan had to be trucked to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and transportation reduced profits.

Freed had been working on growing various canola varieties for a number of years, conducting tests on both winter and spring canola varieties to determine which ones would grow best in lower Michigan. Last year, he tested 36 varieties of winter canola and 12 spring varieties. The test plots are in three locations, one of which is Blackledge's property, so he directly benefits from the latest research on which varieties are doing the best.

"Typically, winter canola has 30% higher yields than spring canola hybrids, but with the test plots, we have been able to achieve comparable yields with the spring varieties," says Freed, a professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. "The bottom line is that this research proves you can grow spring canola in lower Michigan with high enough yields to provide profit potential."

Meanwhile, as part of the biodiesel project, Miller, an MSU chemical engineering and materials science professor, conducted research on converting canola to an oil and then to a fuel. The future looked promising, but then the bottom dropped out of the biodiesel market and prices plummeted. 

"When the cost of our oil was about $4 per gallon, we knew it was too high to compete with gasoline and ethanol, so we transitioned our efforts to food oil," Miller said.

Canola oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower triglyceride levels and promote heart health. It's also very low in saturated fat, so canola oil is a popular diet choice for some people. Those facts inspired Blackledge, who, with the help of Miller and Freed, continued to grow canola and began to produce food oil that could be sold commercially.

 "This year we had about 120 acres of canola," Blackledge said. "We harvest the canola only when the sun and wind have dried it below 10% moisture to prevent mold or mustiness."

Blackledge sells some of his canola crop to the Archer Daniels Midland Company, headquartered in Decatur, Ill., but he keeps about 10,000 pounds to press and sell in Michigan. He uses a cold oil press to extract the oil. This extraction is done at The Starting Block, a licensed incubator kitchen in Hart using a procedure inspected and licensed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture. 

"When we cold press the seeds, the temperature never gets above 138 degrees Fahrenheit," Blackledge says. "You'll notice the deep natural color of the oil and the natural nutty fragrance that remains. We fill the bottle extra full to eliminate as much air as possible to reduce oxidation."

This year, Blackledge is selling his product, called B&B Farms Pure Michigan canola oil at farmers' markets and through a website – www.canolaoilproducts.com. His first pressing was small -- about 50 gallons -- but it represents the first offering of canola oil grown and commercially produced in Michigan. Blackledge hopes to expand to other markets as his canola production grows.

Another grower, in Central Lake, grows about 50 acres of canola, and Blackledge believes that others in the state will soon start growing canola, making it an even larger Michigan agriculture industry.

"I wouldn't be growing canola today if it weren't for MSU and the research and support they provided," Blackledge says. "It has been and continues to be an immensely helpful partnership. The land-grant model is a beautiful thing."

Future research efforts will focus on increasing the acreage of canola being grown in Michigan, increasing cooking oil production and exploring options to improve the efficiency of biofuel production.