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USDA - Agriculture Research Center - Beltsville, MD

(The Bean Bus gives tours at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS)  in Beltsville, MD.  It runs on B20 along with the rest of the diesel vehicles and  diesel equipment at ARS.  Photo courtesy of ARS.)

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, MD was one of the first fleets to use B20 to fuel its fleet of 150 diesel vehicles.  It was also one of the first to use biodiesel to fuel its buildings.  In October of 2000, ARS began fueling its boilers with B5. 

“We're very pleased with the results of biodiesel in our diesel vehicles,” said John Van de Vaarst, former fleet manager.  “We've had no problems with it.  Our mechanics like it, the operators like it and we had no reservations about using it in our boilers as a result.”

ARS is the research agency within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

 

 

The entire fleet of diesel vehicles in the ARS fleet in Beltsville, Maryland are running on B20.  The vehicles are all high usage versus high miles and are used regularly over the 6,700 acres of ARS property.  The vehicles include tractors, dump trucks, tractor trailers, bucket trucks, combines, choppers, small riding mowers, and the visitor shuttle bus.