With growing competition for used oil I was wondering about using new oil, but rather than buying it growing it. I know that this is not an option for most but I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of growing and processing oild seed small scale. It would probably be rape seed or sunflowers in my neck of the woods?

 

Talk to Fabman.
He does exactly what you want to do.

 

I've considered this also, we have about 20 acres we could plant.

We're just not too sure of the costs to get started

 

I don't know but according to what I have been told, with rape seed a fully functioning farm could supply enough fuel for all their equipment off of 1/10 of their farmed acrage " assuming this is a large farm of a couple hundred planted acres". I do know that most of the Fuel Miester dealers sale a variety of sizes seed presses.

 

I've been growing Canola for a couple of years now. We are supplying all our fuel for a 6,000 acre ranch. I'm just about to harvest this years "fuel" crop . We should make approx 20,000 gallons of bio from 100 acres. I also tried Camelina this year, but the yield isn't as high as Canola, so probably won't do it again. If you have a farm, and already own a combine it is very easy to produce your own fuel. If you had to buy a combine ($200,000 +) It probably isn't for you..............

I'll use about 10,000-12,000 gallons/ year. The rest I sell to another farm. I also sell the "feed meal" to a local dairy for $200 / Ton. I presently use the glycerol byproduct as a liquid fertilizer, but this winter will put together a pellitizer and combine the glycerol with waste straw and make fuel pellets.

 

Fabmandelux-- it sounds like you pretty much have it figured out. I am involved with more of a grazing operation. While buying a newer big combine would make it unfeasible I was thinking that some thing that is past its prime (not big enough or fast enough) for crop operations could be picked up reasonable and still have a lot of life for fuel cropping. Im pretty sure that everyu year at the combine derby they wreck a couple that would work just fine

I would be interesed finding more out about how you press/process the seed.

 

I come from a farm and ranch area myself..and know a lot of the farmers would be happy to help harvest your crop...for a small fee *S* How small depends on how/who and when you ask..

oh god..there I go narcing old threads..sorry