A University of Missouri engineer — Leon Schumacher — has developed a way for individuals to make biodiesel on a small scale using such things as a household blender and a variety of ingredients.

But each farmer must know when diesel prices are high enough to consider growing and producing the fuel for on-farm use.

The concept was discussed by Ed Browning, University of Missouri natural resource engineering specialist at Carthage, during a recent meeting in Lamar.

Browning said fuel price is not the issue. It’s supply that will dictate individual decisions.

When the alternative fuel is used in a truck driven down roads, it can mean more taxes and more regulations.

Making the fuel raises issues regarding vehicle and equipment warranties for engines, insurance, where to store the fuel and the need to handle chemicals. There also are fuel flow issues when weather is cold.

There could be a need for state air quality permits and considerations about taking time from other farm operations to make the fuel, Browning said.

Soybeans are not the only fuel source. Fuel also can be made from sunflowers or canola.

Browning cited an on-farm test in Oklahoma that found the fuel could be made with sunflowers grown in the field and processed to get 180 gallons per day.

The system is not always profitable, based on grain prices and crop yields, Browning said. Twenty acres of soybeans averaging 35 bushels per acre could generate 1,000 gallons of oil. The value of that oil is based on how it is used.

That same amount of grain has a market value of more than $7,800 with the price of $11.15 per bushel.

Mike Surbrugg writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.