Fields of soybeans surround the newly re-opened Renewable Energy Group REG Albert Lea biodiesel plant in southern Minnesota, serving as a reminder of where the renewable fuel is rooted.
Chris Hill, a soybean farmer who serves on the board of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and the Minnesota Biodiesel Council, is pleased to see the plant re-open because it really adds value to the soybeans he grows. “The National Biodiesel Board did a study taking into account the benefit of biodiesel, it can add approximately $2 to every bushel from the farm,” said Hill. “On a 500 acre farm, that’s roughly $5000 added income.”
Hill, pictured here on the left with REG president Dan Oh, says the economic benefits of biodiesel production in a rural community have a multiplier effect. “From the farmer, to the elevator to the tire salesman, to the people buying the biodiesel to blend it, for trucks and everything else, it just helps everybody,” Hill said, adding that it helps all of agriculture, including livestock producers who benefit because it helps reduce the cost of soybean meal.
Listen to or download interview with Chris Hill here. Minnesota Farmer Chris Hill