Farm Progress

Innovation and ingenuity are the trademarks of Minnesota soybean farmers.

One could make a solid case that farmers are the original environmentalists. Stewards of the land, they have an unspoken agreement with Mother Nature: We will nurture the land for future generations. Yet, due to the unpredictability of the weather, that compact is often tested.

Yet, for Minnesota’s soybean farmers, their “green thumb” also extends to utilizing renewable energy in the form of biodiesel, a clean-burning, locally grown fuel that is produced with the oil portion of the soybean, leaving the protein for use by livestock and people. This makes biodiesel an ideal by-product, since the oil is often discarded.

Feeding You, Me and 153
The statistics are not new, but they’re still eye-opening. Agriculture has changed dramatically. Today, one farmer feeds 155 people, compared with only 10 people in 1930.

The state’s farmers consistently produce high quality soybeans that are rich in all the important essential amino acids, making soy the best protein nutritional value for humans or animals.

Fueling Communities
Here at home, biodiesel has increased demand for Minnesota’s soybean crop by 13 percent and in-state soybean-processing capacity by 31 percent.


Biodiesel adds 63 cents to the value of every bushel of soybeans grown, which adds roughly $242 million to the Minnesota economy each year. As a whole, biodiesel’s total economic impact is $1.7 billion annually, supporting 5,397 jobs in Minnesota.

Breathing Easier
Biodiesel is recognized by the EPA as the nation’s first and only advanced biofuel for removing more than 50 percent of greenhouse gases compared to petroleum diesel.

In the summer of 2018, Minnesota will be the first state to move to B20, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel. Using B20 in the summer and B5 in the winter in Minnesota will have an effect equal to removing the emissions from nearly 202,000 vehicles from the roads each year.

So the next time you’re driving by a big rig or bus on the road or rows and rows of soybean crops, remember there’s a story there that goes far beyond what the eye can see.

Learn more about the benefits of biodiesel in Minnesota from the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council website.

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