After a long, snow-filled, subzero winter followed by months of flooded farm fields and chilly temperatures, spring has finally hit the Upper Midwest. It’s a very short growing season here, and if these farmers miss planting by a week, they can suffer the consequences all year long. This means that at the very first moment it’s feasible, farmers are out in full force tilling their huge, expanses of section after section, fertilizing, planting and bringing the barren lands back to fruitful, productive life.  

Sounds travel for miles in the open country, and lately the hum of diesel has filled the air: tractors working the land, trucks hauling seed and fertilizer. I live in Minnesota, where all diesel fuel is B5. In a few years, B20 will be the norm.

The countryside has been rejuvenated, reminding me of the new life the U.S. biodiesel industry is experiencing this spring.

Plants are coming back online, production numbers are looking strong, project development is on the rise and people are getting back to work again in this pioneering energy sector.

Last week David Bradley with the Canadian Trucking Alliance responded to my post about the CTA fighting his country’s 2 percent biodiesel mandate effective July 1.

Bradley said, “Biodiesel is yesterday’s news.”

He’s right. Biodiesel is yesterday’s news, but it is also today’s news, as well as tomorrow’s.

The industry model may change, and the sector will see tough times again, as it has the past two years, but biodiesel is here to stay. While other forms of diesel alternatives are developing commercially, they will not replace biodiesel. The diesel sector is large enough to accommodate all forms of quality biomass-based diesels.