when i first saw the “powered by biodiesel” stickers on the organic valley company cars, jetta tdis, i thought it was a great way to reinforce the sustainability and environmentally friendly attributes of the brand and it was probably a not so subtle way to support a new market for soy which would probably make the cooperative members who grow soy happy.

later i learned that the cooperative owns its logistics operation which is called, appropriately enough, “organic logistics”. every single organic logistics truck runs on biodiesel, and not a wimpy grade either, many of their trucks run on B50 which means that it’s 50 percent biodiesel and 50 percent regular diesel. these days it’s looking like a pretty smart decision because when i was at the pump today the B50 was a full 15 cents cheaper than regular diesel, which keeps transportation costs low, relatively speaking. and keeping costs low means the cooperative can pay their farmers more money for product, which means that small family farmers like travis forgues can thrive in a state that sees four percent of its dairy farms shut down each year.

i also have a diesel jetta, but volkswagen only officially sanctions B5 diesel ( meaning a mix with 5 percent biodiesel ) and using a grade with more biodiesel will void the warranty. but i’m thinking that if it hasn’t had any ill effects on the company cars and transportation trucks, surely it must be good for the family car?