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| URBANDALE, Iowa
- It may be coming to a community near you. Iowans should
be on the lookout for a big, white bus with giant soybeans painted on
the sides. The Soy Biodiesel Bus, sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Promotion
Board (ISPB), is preparing for its second annual “Soy Biodiesel
Trek Across Iowa. The annual bus trek through parts of rural Iowa will begin Monday, May 16 and end on Tuesday, May 17. The focus this year is to educate school children and community leaders about the benefits of using a renewable, homegrown fuel like soy biodiesel. “The trek is good opportunity to promote soy biodiesel to a number of audiences,” said Ed Ulch, an ISPB director and farmer from Solon, Iowa. “By having soybean farmers and industry leaders meet with school children, it gives us the chance to educate the next generation of fuel users and decision makers about the importance of supporting a cleaner burning, renewable fuel that is better for the environment. The trek also brings together soy biodiesel fuel dealers with potential buyers, like school bus and city vehicle managers. It helps us form new partnerships and is just a great way to promote soy biodiesel.” During the first day, the biodiesel-fueled bus, which will be covered in a plastic wrap promoting soy biodiesel, will travel to elementary schools in Perry, Boone and Carroll. Special guests will include Brent Halling, deputy secretary with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship; Jenna Higgins, director of communications for the National Biodiesel Board; and Ron Heck, chairman of the American Soybean Association and farmer from Perry. The trek will complete its tour on May 17 in Wall Lake and Manson. School children will listen to fun lessons about soy biodiesel, receive free soy nuts from Sunny the Soybean and have the opportunity to win t-shirts. Prior to the trek, each participating school was encouraged to have its students write essays about, “What Is Soy Biodiesel and Why Is It Important to America?” The essay winners will be announced during a special ceremony at each school. The winning students will be asked to read their essays and will receive $50 U.S. savings bonds. Cenex will donate B20 fuel, 20 percent soy biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel, for the biodiesel-powered bus. Star Energy and Diamond Oil will donate 300 gallons of soy biodiesel to each school visited on the trek. Currently, Iowa has three biodiesel fuel producers and marketers, 52 biodiesel retail-fueling sites and over 350 biodiesel distributors. Iowa is one of the largest manufacturers of soy biodiesel in the country. Increasing numbers of Iowa schools are using soy biodiesel in their school buses. Several thousand school buses across the nation are running on biodiesel blends to improve air quality for their passengers and the environment around them. According to an ISPB survey of 400 Iowa soybean producers in March 2005, growing the biodiesel market was the top priority for the use of soybean checkoff dollars. Of those surveyed, 45 percent said they are currently using biodiesel in their farming operations, up from 42 percent in 2004. Other studies indicate even higher percentages of farmers using soy biodiesel. For more information about the Soy Biodiesel Trek Across Iowa, please call Sarah Van Gorp at 800-383-1423. For more information about soy biodiesel, please go to the National Biodiesel Board Web site at www.biodiesel.org. |
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| ISA • 4554 N.W. 114th Street • Urbandale, IA 50322-5410 • Ph. 515-251-8640 • Fax 515-251-8657 | ||||||||||||
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