BLOOMINGTON, ILL – APRIL 4, 2022 – The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff program awarded a $1500 biodiesel sweepstakes to one lucky Illinois farmer who attended the Quad Cities Farm Show this winter. Congratulations to Kelsey Litchfield, of Rio, Ill., and her family!
“With fuel costs and other inputs at historical highs, winning this sweepstakes gives us relief and allows us to put that money into other costs on our family farm,” says Litchfield. “We’ve used biodiesel for many years – we consider it fundamental for our operation.”
ISA partnered with Rob Sharkey, The SharkFarmer, and Pete Probst, ISA Biodiesel Advisor, at the farm show to have authentic, one-on-one conversations with farmers about on-farm biodiesel use.
“It’s always fun and educational to attend events and hear about biodiesel from the farmer’s perspective, and this year’s Quad Cities Farm Show was no exception,” says Probst. “Soybean farmers are proud to use biodiesel but many had concerns about cold flow issues with various blends.”
Probst notes that based on research conducted in Illinois, when used with proper additives, biodiesel blends can perform just as well as regular diesel when the temperature dips, allowing the benefits of biodiesel to be realized during every season.
For farmers like Litchfield, biodiesel has been a great addition to their farming operation over the years.
“Our experience with using biodiesel has been very positive. Our engines run smoothly with minimal maintenance, it is reliable, and gives our machinery and trucks high performance,” says Litchfield.
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development and utilization efforts while the membership program supports the government relations interests of Illinois soybean farmers at the local, state, and national level, through the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG). ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean producers through promotion, advocacy, and education with the vision of becoming a market leader in sustainable soybean production and profitability. For more information, visit the website www.ilsoy.org and ilsoygrowers.com.
###
