Farming

Birchmeir Family Farm

When it came time to buy diesel for the farm equipment, David Birchmeir and wife, Rhonda, soybean producers in Maxwell, IA, decided it was time to use soy-based biodiesel.  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.  We need more products like this," says David.  "It's important to add value to our commodity."

Individual Businesses

OLY Steamboats

Myles Twete, Portland, OR, owner of his own 20-foot steamboat says there is "No soot and little smoke to speak of.  People love the smell of it burning."

Government

New Jersey Department of Transportation

NJDOT was the 3rd major entity to use biodiesel fuel in New Jersey, following NJ Transit and the Medford Township School District. NJDOT agreed to begin using biodiesel after meeting with representatives from the Medford Township School District, which has a successful biodiesel program in its school bus fleet for the six years.

School Districts

Medford (NJ) School District

The Medford School District has used a biodiesel blend in half of its school buses since 1997.  "It's been absolutely fantastic," said Joe Biluck, Jr., director of operations and technology for the district.  "We've had no down time as a result of this fuel.  We've seen no drop in miles per gallon.  We've run down to temperatures of 11 degrees below zero and haven't experienced any problems."  Biluck says the kids seem to notice a positive difference in the fumes, too.

Large Fleets

Cedar Rapids Transit Authority

The transit authority in Cedar Rapids, IA, began fueling its fleet of 60 city buses with biodiesel in 2001.  The move is helping clean up the exhaust of the buses while contributing to the local farm economy.  "Part of the reason behind the decision to use soy-based biodiesel is that we're always concerned about emissions, and this helps us help the environment," said maintenance manager Roger Hageman.  "We are very conscientious about supporting Iowa's farmers, and using B20 will benefit them while decreasing our dependence on foreign oil."

Woodruff Energy is a distributor of soybean-based biodiesel fuel that is being supplied by World Energy.  If you have questions or would like to explore further, we invite you to contact us at Woodruff Energy.