On-Farm Oilseed/Biodiesel Project

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On-Farm Oil Seed / Biodiesel Project State Line
Farm, Shaftsbury, VT
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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
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Our goal

• Farms working together to make their own fuel,
  using their own raw materials, with sustainable
  practices.

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Making biodiesel from waste vegetable oil in the
old dairy barn
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The first crop of oil seed crops, but no way to
extract the oil for fuel.
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In 2005 an oil seed press was purchased.
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Other farmers helped buy the press, and grew test
plots of sunflower, canola, other oil seed crops.
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May 4, 2006 preparing to plant
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Brillion seed drill used to sow canola
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Canola in flower on July 1
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Canola seed pods on August 1
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Canola seed nearly dry on August 18
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Sunflowers on July 1
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Sunflowers on August 1
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Sunflowers on October 2
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The crop looks good now, but deer and bird
damage, or diseases can be a problem.
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2007 sunflower variety trial at State Line Farm
yields ranged from 1,247 to 2,396 lb/acre
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Get the 1960s combine ready
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In northern VT canola trials with 24
varieties had an average yield of 1,800 lb/acre
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First set up for pressing the seed for oil and
meal
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a temporary settling tank
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Seed meal livestock feed, worth about 200
per ton, roughly twice that if organic
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Chinese oil press recently arrived at Rainville
Farm in VT
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Sweet sorghum (for ethanol) August 1
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old Sweet sorghum press
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Extracting sweet sorghum juice
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This still makes ethanol from fermented sugar
crop juices
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Scaling the project up in 2006with funding from
VT Sustainable Jobs Fund
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John and Steve designed and built the building
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Vermonts first on-farm oil seed processing
facility
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Putting the system together many used parts!
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methanol condensor
seed
oil press
reaction vessel
oil tank
farmer
seedmeal
fuel drain
glycerin drain
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Farm fresh biodiesel but not ASTM tested
(thats another story)
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Future work

• Oil and alcohol crop production trials
• Economic analysis
• Comparing processing equipment
• Market development, co-operative formation?
• Regulatory issues

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Project reports at www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry cl
ick Energy on the Farm