April 2022

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April 2022

Before things started getting busy, I was able to take a field trip to a farm in northern Vermont. I went with a friend, Steve, who initiated the visit. Steve and his partner Michelle are the owners of Steady Soils Farm in Baldwin, ME. As a former diesel tractor mechanic, Steve contacted Roger Rainville of Borderview Farm, who had been growing sunflowers and canola to produce biodiesel fuel. We had both watched videos on youtube and on the University of Vermont’s website of Roger and his operations but were interested in seeing it in person.


We left early on a rainy morning to make the four hour drive up to Alburgh, Vermont. Borderview Farm is located less than 2 miles from Lake Champlain and abuts the border of Canada. You could literally see the nearest border checkpoint from his driveway. Roger welcomed us into one of his buildings to show us his equipment. For many years, and to this day, Borderview Farm has been a research farm for the University of Vermont’s extension agency. Growing different crops such as sunflowers, canola, switchgrass, and many others, Roger helped run experiments with producing biodiesel from oilseeds. Landing on sunflowers as his favorite for both growing and aesthetic purposes, he walked us through his process.
The sunflower seeds, once harvested, are left to dry in giant totes with the help of fans that pull air through the totes. The seeds are then run through a press. Out of the press comes oil as well as a meal from the seed shells. The meal can be used as feed for livestock. Roger has also experimented with pressing the meal into pellets to burn as biofuel in heaters. The virgin oil is then sent through a machine that “washes” the oil pulling out the glycerin. I’m still not entirely sure how this machine works, but it was smaller than I thought it would be and seemed rather simple. Methane is put into the machine to aid in the washing process. Roger then runs the glycerin through a still that would pull out the methane to be recycled for the next washing. The glycerin he sold to local soap makers for very low cost, just happy they would take it from him. The oil, after being washed, is sent through a set of filters, and is then ready to be used.

This virgin biofuel can be run in any diesel engine without any conversions. In fact, the biodiesel burns cleaner than the diesel that can be purchased at the station and is carbon neutral so it’s better for the environment. It could be used to heat as well, as long as the biodiesel is kept at temperatures above 45 degrees to avoid gelling. Roger told us that he doesn’t think this could be done on a really large scale but is very possible on a small to medium size scale. Roger claims that his biodiesel was cheaper to produce than the diesel being sold at the local station, and that was 5 years ago when prices were relatively lower.

Based on my own calculations from the University of Vermont’s website, they published the data from all of Roger’s experiments over the years, an acre of sunflowers could produce on average 100 gallons of biodiesel.

Roger showed us some of his other equipment and buildings, which were fascinating. He raised dairy cows as well as ostriches for a number of years on top of the research farming. Here is a link to more information on Borderview Farm: http://vermontbioenergy.com/borderview-research-farm/#.YlRqYkg03IV

On the long drive back, Steve and I were reeling with ideas. With the current conversations around PFAS chemicals being found on some farms in Maine, perhaps oilseed production could be a solution for those farmers. Recent testing has showed that PFAS chemicals don’t seem to make their way into the seeds and grains of plants. These contaminated fields could be providing green biodiesel for other farmers in the area. Henry Ford had a vision for American farmers, that each farmer would dedicate a plot of their fields to oilseed production. Each community, Ford dreamed, would have a communal biodiesel production operation for the farmers to run their equipment on local, sustainable biodiesel. -Kyle


FARM NOTES

  • Our summer CSA is filling up. CSA will be on Tuesday evenings from 4-6 at our farm and Earle Farm.

  • Earle Farm spaces are limited. Please sign up on our website

  • www.hosacfarm.com/csa

  • We are offering a flower share option in addition on its own.


We are attending the Bridgton Winter Farmers Market this Saturday 4/16/22 with greens. We will have spinach, mizuna, arugula, kale, radishes, leeks. Find us there at the redemption center on Nulty Street from 9-12. We are waiting to see if we can get enough consistency in our greens maturing to offer a green share, in the meanwhile we will be at the market for a few weeks.

The seedlings are growing, and we are waiting for the garden to dry out enough to drive the tractor on it. We have been filling our days with odd spring jobs like replacing fence posts and picking up the endless supply of rocks that appear out of the earth every spring.

Happy April