On-Farm Oil Seed / Biodiesel Project State Line Farm, Shaftsbury, VT
A lot of farms and farmers in the Northeast are looking for new, ‘non-commodity’ enterprises. A lot of farms are also looking for sources of renewable energy
Our goal • Farms working together to make their own fuel, using their own raw materials, with sustainable practices.
Making biodiesel from waste vegetable oil in the old dairy barn
The first crop of oil seed crops, but no way to extract the oil for fuel.
In 2005 an oil seed press was purchased.
Other farmers helped buy the press, and grew test plots of sunflower, canola, other oil seed crops.
May 4, 2006 preparing to plant
Brillion seed drill used to sow canola
Canola in flower on July 1
Canola seed pods on August 1
Canola seed nearly dry on August 18
Sunflowers on July 1
Sunflowers on August 1
Sunflowers on October 2
The crop looks good now, but deer and bird damage, or diseases can be a problem.
2007 sunflower variety trial at State Line Farm; yields ranged from 1, 247 to 2, 396 lb/acre
Get the 1960’s combine ready
In northern VT canola trials with 24 varieties had an average yield of 1, 800 lb/acre
First set up for pressing the seed for oil and meal
a temporary settling tank
Seed meal = livestock feed, worth about $200+ per ton, roughly twice that if organic
Chinese oil press recently arrived at Rainville Farm in VT
Sweet sorghum (for ethanol) August 1
old Sweet sorghum press
Extracting sweet sorghum juice
This still makes ethanol from fermented ‘sugar crop’ juices
Scaling the project up in 2006…with funding from VT Sustainable Jobs Fund
John and Steve designed and built the building
Vermont’s first on-farm oil seed processing facility
Putting the system together – many used parts!
methanol condensor seed oil press reaction vessel farmer fuel drain glycerin drain seed meal oil tank
“Farm fresh” biodiesel – but not ASTM tested (that’s another story)
Future work • Oil and alcohol crop production trials • Economic analysis • Comparing processing equipment • Market development, co-operative formation? • Regulatory issues
Project reports at: www. uvm. edu/vtvegandberry click ‘Energy on the Farm’
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