Midwest farmers push soy diesel

About 125 Midwest soybean farmers lobbied lawmakers in Washington, D-C yesterday, asking for a tax break for soybean-based biodiesel. United Soybean Board president Richard Borgsmiller says 15-million gallons of soy-based biodiesel was sold in the U-S last year.Fifty-five million gallons of diesel are sold annually.Borgsmiller says replacing one-half of one percent of that petroleum-based diesel with biodiesel would use up to 183 million bushels of U-S soybeans.Borgsmiller is a farmer from Illinois. The farmers are asking for a tax break for biodiesel that’s similar to the one for corn-based ethanol. A 10-year-old truck that’s fueled by soy-based biodiesel driven from Missouri to D-C was center-stage at yesterday’s news conference.