Stars of the Discovery Channel’s show “Diesel Brothers” appeared at Minnesota Ag Expo to meet fans and preview the truck the foursome is building for the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council.

The foursome — Dave Sparks, Dave Kiley, Keaton Hoskins and Josh Stuart — is custom-building a truck for the Minnesota soybean checkoff that is scheduled to be unveiled at Commodity Classic in Anaheim, Calif.

Known as The DieselSellerz, the team made an appearance at Farmfest last August. With a Discovery Channel film crew tagging along, they also toured a local farm and biodiesel facility in Brewster, Minn., to get a firsthand look at soybean and biodiesel production.

“We saw how the soybeans process unfolds, and how a seed turns into fuel,” said Sparks, known as “Heavy D” in the television show. The team had never done a project like this, and the guys were excited to do it.

“Our viewers are going to get a taste of something completely different,” Sparks added. “Normally, we work with ad agencies, and now we’re working with farmers. For me, that’s my favorite part. At the end of the day, the main people driving this project are farmers, and we love that part of it.”

MSR&PC approached the Utah-based team last year about a possible partnership.

Jim Willers, MSR&PC director, said teaming with DieselSellerz was an ideal collaboration in promoting the state’s move to a B20 standard on May 1.

“Having the TV show is a big plus,” Willers said. “We’re just very grateful as an organization for the exposure.”

DieselSellerz appreciate biodiesel tech
Sparks anticipates the show featuring the Ford F550 will air on Discovery this spring.

“You couldn’t buy a Super Bowl commercial that can tell the biodiesel story that we’re telling,” Sparks said. “That’s why this partnership has turned out to be such a good fit.

Sparks said he considers biodiesel to be the future of fuel.

“This is something that’s sustainable and has a lot of technology and science behind it,” he said. “We’re working on innovation and technology and trying to improve the diesel industry, and so is MSR&PC.”

MSR&PC invested $300,000 in the customized truck and partnership with DieselSellerz. The council considers this a small investment, considering biodiesel adds 63 cents to every bushel of soybeans grown in the state.

Minnesota state statute currently requires 10% biodiesel to be blended with No. 2 diesel fuel from April 1 to Sept. 30 each year, with the blend lowered to B5 for the colder-weather months of October through March. The mandate moves to B20 on May 1 through Sept. 30. In 2019 and beyond, B20 is mandated from April 1 through Sept. 30.

MSR&PC press releases contributed to this report.