New Diesel Mandate Creates Opportunities for Ontario Farmers

Apr 03, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

The Ontario government announced the introduction of a new Greener Diesel Mandate on Thursday, which is receiving high praise from farm groups like Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO).

Soybean growers stand to benefit from the new mandate, which will require a two percent blend in biodiesel, and a four percent inclusion by 2017.

GFO, the province’s largest commodity organization representing Ontario’s 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat growers predicts that the mandate will create a potential market for about 68,000 tonnes of soybeans.

The new rules went into effect April 1st.

“The creation of an Ontario Greener Diesel mandate will reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the transportation sector and will help build a market for made-in-Ontario soy biodiesel,” Henry Van Ankum, Chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario said in a release.

According to a government release, by 2017, the province aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 600,000 tonnes a year, which is equivalent to taking approximately 140,000 cars off the road.

The mandate was also welcomed by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, which called it “fantastic news” for renewable fuel producers and farmers alike.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.