 Make your farm sustainable - Grow your own fuel! A Ton of sunflower seeds makes 80 gallons of filtered oil and 1,200 pounds of meal. The oil is used to run diesel tractors and vehicles. The meal is used for high protein livestock feed. Ten percent of a farm's acres are needed to provide fuel for the farm.  |
| This is our Chinese press from Walder Mfg. Mark Walder is showing a fellow from Canada and Dick Lovestrand how to run the press. |
WE HAVE STRUCK OIL!!!
Didn't take us too long to figure out that we needed to do a lot of settling and filtering to turn the crude oil into oil for fuel! Settling takes 2 weeks, then the SVO is filtered to 5 microns.
Paul Aakre, University of MN - Crookston, Bethany Prairie, and the NW MN Regional Sustainable Development Partnership are working together on to evaluate the constraints of a family farm operation to produce its' own fuel.
Dick Lovestrand often explains the workings of the oilseed press - farmers have specific uses and questions in mind. Some are a bit surprised and disappointed that they can't just put straight vegetable oil (SVO) into diesel engines without modifications.
Meal and filtered oil
Dick and Dick check out our Fuel Meister which turns filtered sunflower oil into bio-diesel in the transesterification process. Straight Vegetable Oil can be used to replace diesel fuel by using a two tank Elsbett system. Paul Aakre and the students at UMC are helping us with both of these processes.
For more information contact Linda Grotberg lindag@daktel.com or cell phone: 701-320-9535
