Case Studies: Cate Farm
Richard Wiswall and Sally Coleman
Cate Farm
Plainfield, Vermont
Richard Wiswall and Sally Coleman have a 148 acre organic farm in Washington County, Vermont. Over the years they've streamlined their operation to 22 acres in rotating cultivation and a focus on growing bedding plants, tomatoes and root crops.
Richard first learned about biodiesel a few years ago while attending a workshop at a growers' conference. At that conference, Carl Benton did a presentation on a biodiesel system he was using to heat his greenhouses. Following up on that experience, Richard began his own research, and discovered Josh Tickell's book, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, which provided Richard enough information to start making his own biodiesel.
The motivation to meet and sustain the farm's fuel needs without relying on petroleum products, combined with everything he knew about biodiesel, led Richard to take on the entire process of manufacturing all of his own fuel. Richard collects waste vegetable oil (WVO) from two local restaurants to create biodiesel in his barn. Glycerin produced as a byproduct of making the biodiesel is combined with dried dairy manure and used as compost.
Even though Wiswall and Coleman's entire livelihood is tied closely to the success of the greenhouses, and conversion from the existing fuel and heating system potentially constituted a risk, Richard knew from the beginning that he wanted to "go for it" using 100% biodiesel instead of starting with a lower blend. Since B100 is known for its cleansing action, Richard replaced filters, nozzles and seals after the initial run to accommodate for any potential clogging. He did make P recautionary modifications were made to the greenhouse burners including adding a 10 micron filter on to each of them, and each fuel tank was also equipped with a filter. One of the issues with b B urning biodiesel yields a flame that isn't as bright as that of conventional diesel and therefore reliable ignition can be an issue. Richard's remedy was a piece of aluminum tape placed around the flame area, thereby creating sufficient reflected brightness to trigger ignition.
There was naturally some apprehension about turning the greenhouses over entirely to B100 fuel, so another precaution Richard took was to install an alarm programmed to go off in the house if the greenhouse temperature dropped below 60 degrees. Fortunately, that did not happen and the system has worked smoothly from the beginning. Currently, the farm has two tractors running on biodiesel and/or straight vegetable oil and B100 heats all seven greenhouses, the house, and the barn. The combined total consumption of biodiesel on the farm is about 2,000 gallons per year.
Richard has attended and participated in a number of public events featuring different aspects of biodiesel. He finds it discouraging that so much emphasis for commercial use has been placed on using low percentages of biodiesel (B5 or B20 for example) in petroleum blends. While understanding the cautious approach, he believes that given the appropriate information, many would opt for B100 as they have on Cate Farm, and discover that there's no real risk involved. At biofuels conferences where he has been a presenter, Richard has taken the opportunity to demonstrate this potential by sharing his experience as a processor and dedicated user of B100.
Energy independence is a primary vision on the farm, but Richard is adamant that conservation is also essential, regardless of the type of fuel being used. There is a definite financial advantage to producing biodiesel as opposed to purchasing it, but that's just one of many motivating factors. Eventually, he also hopes to incorporate photovoltaics into the mix and move even closer to the dream he and Sally had when they started the farm 24 years ago: creating a completely sustainable operation.