Economics of Sunflower Oil as an Extender or Substitute for Diesel Fuel

Fossil derived fuels are not renewable and have a finite supply. The search for alternative sources that are renewable will play an important role in meeting US long-term energy requirements. Almost all tractors in 1982 were diesel. Oil from sunflowers could stretch fuel supplies. There are four major types of oil crops grown in the US: soybeans, cottonseed, sunflower and peanuts. Sunflower has the highest percentage of oil in it's seed - 40%. It was suggested that it would require over 2.3 million acres of sunflowers to replace all diesel fuel requirements for all agricultural needs for North Dakota. If sunflowers were to replace all diesel fuel needs for agriculture in the US, it would require close to 6.8 million acres to be planted. The economic incentives for the development of alternatives to diesel fuel are determined by the relationship of diesel prices to the cost of the production of vegetable oils. Substitutes will be produced when diesel prices rise to a level equal to or above the cost of producing substitutes. Another thing to consider is the energy inputs required to produce any new alternative energy. One needs to consider the costs of on-farm processing of these alternative fuel sources