Written by Rickdatech

Mustard is closely related to both canola (a Canadian hybrid) and rape. The advantage of growing mustard to make biodiesel is that the meal is a biopesticide that can be used on Organic farms. It is not really common oilseed for biodiesel since the meal contains glucosinolates.

The University of Idaho has developed two cultivars through their breeding program. They show promise as low cost biodiesel feedstock oils with the meal showing promise as a biopesticide. They have been doing research with mustard, its meal, and its oil for a decade, and have publiished a number of peer review papers on mustard.

Mustard has less oil content than canola and rape. Screw presses are able to remove less oil from mustard than from rape and canola. Typical yeilds are about 30 - 60 gallons per acre of mustard. The gold, if you'll forgive the pun, in the meal. It seems that for most growers of mustard, the meal is the cash crop with the oil being a value add for the farm.

In the early 90's mustard seed was sold by the farmer for 8-11 cents per pound with fields producing 800 to 1400 pounds of seed per acre. Today mustard seed meal is being sold as a non-toxic ferterlizer with weed and pest control capabilities for organic farmers in small quantities for roughly 1.80 a pound. Bulk pricing will be less.

Related Links

Wisconsin Cooperative Extension - Alternative Field Crops Manual - Mustard

Coming: A new crop of organic pesticides
Science News, Oct 9, 1999 by J. Raloff

University of Idaho Mustard Breeding and Research Program

Using Mustard Oil for Biodiesel - University of Idaho Extension

Biodiesel from Mustard Oil - C.L. Peterson, J. Thompson Dec 2005

Farm Fuel Inc.- California based farmer owned company that uses Mustard oil to make biodiesel.

Oregon State University - Oilseed Fact Sheets - Edible Mustard

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