Files
Abstract
Substituting petroleum diesel with biodiesel could decrease air emissions, reduce
reliance on foreign oil, and help expand markets for U.S. farmers. Soybean producers
can potentially capture this value-added by forward integrating the processing
of soybeans into biodiesel via a New Generation Cooperative (NGC). Using probit
analysis, this study examines factors influencing soybean producers’ willingness
to participate in an NGC to produce biodiesel. Tobit analysis is used to examine
the factors influencing the number of shares the soybean producer would be willing
to purchase. Survey results indicate that over 70% of the soybean producers in the
study group are interested in investing in an NGC to produce biodiesel. Among
those producers willing to participate, the average number of shares they would
purchase was just under 3,460.