There is, of course, no way to compare the rise in gas prices with the devastation experienced along the Gulf Coast. For many of us, a rise in the price of gas means being more mindful of how often we put our butts in the driver’s seat, and will perhaps even motivate us to get our butts out of the driver’s seat and onto a bicycle seat a little more often. But for the farmers who rely at least partially on fuel—to work the land, to transport goods, and to heat greenhouses—I wondered if this could mean the difference between profit and loss.  

Most of the farmers I spoke with at the Farmers’ Market in Portsmouth on Saturday were approaching the increase with a wait-and-see attitude, and most were quick to point out that things could indeed be worse.

“It’s just one more expense,” agreed Alan Tuthill, of Shaw’s Hill Farm in Kensington, but he says that he hadn’t yet had to buy fuel since the increase, and, like most farmers, won’t feel the effects until the time comes to plow the fields under, plant cover crops or turn the heat on in the greenhouses.

Jean and Josh Jennings of Meadow’s Mirth Farm in Kensington admit that the old van they use to get to and from market isn’t great on gas and they cringe every time they have to fill the tank, but, says Josh, “We’ll just use it as little as possible, and we won’t raise our prices, because everyone is feeling the pinch.”  They are hopeful that prices will fall within a few weeks. Garen Heller of Back River Farm in Dover had a novel approach. “I’ll just put the same dollar amount in when I go to the pump.  That way, I can stay in denial a little longer.”

Bill Nelson of Nelson Farm in Strafford has already started experimenting with alternatives to petroleum-based fuels; he began manufacturing biodiesel out of used Frialator oil three years ago and has been using it to heat his greenhouse. This year, he and farm manager Steve Blood tried unprocessed Frialator oil (filtered but not transformed into biodiesel), which also worked, but not as well because it solidifies in colder temperatures and must be warmed prior to use.

The term biodiesel refers to fuels derived from natural, renewable oils and designed specifically for use in diesel engines. In a process called transesterification, the esters in oil are separated from the glycerin, and methanol is introduced to replace the glycerin (ethanol can be used as well, but methanol produces a far more stable fuel). 

Blood describes the process as similar to making an emulsified salad dressing, but far more dangerous. First, according to Blood, the methanol is mixed with lye, which will act as a catalyst in separating the glycerin from the esters once the mixture is added to the oil. In a contraption that he rigged up from a drill press and a paint-mixing paddle, Blood gets the oil mixing, then slowly drizzles in the lye-methanol mixture until it is well blended. The mixture is churned continuously for about an hour, then left to sit until the glycerin settles to the bottom. The biodiesel is ladled off the top and used as fuel, and the glycerin is discarded as what Blood describes as a benign waste product (it can also be used to make soap). 

The process must take place far from the greenhouse, says Blood, because the methanol fumes will destroy any produce they come in contact with. Methanol is also caustic on the skin, harmful if inhaled in large quantities and generally must be handled with extreme caution, particularly once it has been mixed with the lye and before it has been added to the oil.

Nelson doesn’t know how much money he saves by using the oil, but he burned about 1,500 gallons of it last year. Not only is the oil itself free (he still has to purchase methanol and lye), but the restaurants actually pay a disposal fee to have it picked up.