Farm Family from
Maxwell, IA

(Picture and article courtesy of Iowa Soybean Association)

This spring, when it came time to buy diesel for the farm equipment, David Birchmeir and wife, Rhonda, soybean producers from Maxwell, decided it was time to take action.

The farm family went to Norm Cummings, Diamond Oil Co., and requested soy-based biodiesel for their equipment fueling needs.

"We can't expect others to use soy-based biodiesel if we don't use it ourselves," says Rhoda.  "That goes for ethanol, too.  We need to do what we can to help ourselves."

Three thousand gallons later, David is a satisfied customer.

"I haven't had any problems using the soy-based biodiesel," says David.  "In fact, it's been performing very well.  It burns a lot cleaner than regular diesel, and costs just about the same.  There's really no reason not to use it."

David encourages other producers to talk to their local fuel suppliers about obtaining soy-based biodiesel.

"We need more products like this," says David.  "It's important to add value to our commodity."