John Deere to use B2 biodiesel in machines, U.S. manufacturing plants

John Deere announced Feb. 1 it plans to use B2, a blend of two percent biodiesel fuel, as the factory-fill in diesel-propelled machines made in the United States. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel produced from domestic renewable resources like soybean oil. It contains no petroleum but can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. The company tractor assembly plant in Waterloo, Iowa, and its combine manufacturing plant, Harvester Works, in East Moline, Ill., will begin using B2 by March 1. Other factories will begin using the fuel before the end of the year. Deere is publicizing its fuel specs and encouraging customers to use the B2 formula in their own operations. “Working with the National Biodiesel Board we are promoting the use of B2 fuel because it is readily available and meets the high quality fuel standards that we have set for our engines, and it is a positive step toward adoption of renewable fuels,” says Don Borgman, manager of market planning and customer integration for Deere’s Ag Marketing Center.