Making biodiesel at home

Today is National Biodiesel Day and this record-setting advanced biofuel benefits you and your quality of life in many ways.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from oil contained primarily in soybeans (Iowa is the nation's top producer of both soybeans and biodiesel) as well as other vegetable oils and animal fats.

Last year, more than 2 billion gallons of this renewable fuel were used, a record. Choosing biodiesel positively impacts the environment and our economy. Here's how.

' Atmospheric carbon was reduced for the third year in a row due in part to the use of renewables including biodiesel - in 2015, the reduction was 18.2 million tons.

' Overall, using renewable fuels like biodiesel cuts greenhouse gas emissions by up to 81 percent.

' Renewable fuels production lowers the overall cost of fuel due to greater competition and the availability of local fuel stocks. It also makes us less dependent on foreign oil.

' Renewable fuels production boosts the economy by adding 65,000 jobs nationally.

' There are benefits for our rural communities and economies. Since 2008, biodiesel production has tripled, soybean exports have doubled, and the soy oil price is down 40 percent. Since 2007 US farmland decreased by 18 million acres. This shows that biodiesel does not induce negative land use change as a result of commodity price increase, nor does it displace exports or feed use.

Several years ago, renewable fuels including biodiesel, were erroneously blamed for increasing the cost of food. Now with farm commodity prices lower, food costs have not come down although energy has. This proves the lack of a correlation. In fact, the percent of the food dollar the farmer gets on many products is at an all-time low.

California has launched stringent guidelines on environmental quality including carbon emissions. To comply this year, they will use 300 million gallons of biodiesel. That is up from 14 million five years ago. It is projected that they will use 790 million gallons annually by 2022. That will be 20 percent of the diesel market. Oregon has announced it will follow and other states are expected to as well.

The Renewable Fuel Standard insures that ethanol and biodiesel are included in our fuels and it is working very well for the benefit of everyone - except oil companies. But don't feel too sorry for them. One oil company's profits were down 44 percent but still an acceptable $2.6 million profit per hour 24/7. The Renewable Fuel Standard has been good for the United States and has given us a better quality of life at a lower cost, thanks in part to the advancement of biodiesel.

Please use and support biofuels whenever you can as doing so is good for you, your family, your community and our future.

' Ed Ulch, of Solon, is a farmer and member of the Iowa Soybean Association board of directors.