In mid-January, Indiana biodiesel refiner Countrymark Co-op lowered its biodiesel blend prices, causing more than a dozen local member cooperatives to pass the savings on to customers and blend their diesel with 2 percent biodiesel.

The price cut was made possible by the American JOBS Creation Act of 2004, signed in October and effective in January. Cooperatives in Muncie, Anderson, Jasper County, Monticello, Lebanon, Terre Haute, Seymour, Richmond, Dillsboro, Danville, Wabash, Columbus, Shelbyville, Hamlet, Liberty and Crawfordsville are participating, and dozens of other member co-ops in the state are expected to follow suit this spring.

Peter Cremer North America and West Central supply Countrymark Co-op with its soy-based biodiesel, according to co-op representative Steve Thomas.

In January, only one Indiana co-op offered biodiesel fuel for sale in either bulk shipments or at the pump. Now that number is rapidly growing. In Liberty, Union County Co-op had quit selling B2 blends in its road diesel until Countrymark lowered its prices. Now the co-op offers B5 (soy-based biodiesel) in off-road, regular and premium diesel fuels at its Energy Plus 24 station, according to co-op General Manager Dale Walker.

Anderson-based Ag-One Co-op started blending B2 in its bulk diesel fuel shipments in February. The co-op has been selling soy-based B2 at its area biodiesel pumps since July 2003. Ag-One has additional facilities in Brookville, Buck Creek, Cider Grove, Dundee, Dunreith, Elwood, Emporia, Finly, Greenfield, Lapel, Markleville, Mays, Millville, Mount Summit, New Castle, Pendleton, Raymond, Rushville and Summitville.