Road hog
There is a motorcycle in Minnesota being powered by bacon grease. The grease comes from Hormel Foods and is known as 100 percent black label. The grease is treated by a biofuels company to be used in the motorcycle engine for about $3.50 per gallon. The fuel gets about 75 to 100 miles per gallon. The exhaust even smells like bacon.
Bringmethenews.com, August 2014
The North Dakota State University soybean breeding program has a new variety of soybean. The variety, which is non-GMO, is intended for high-protein, tofu and soymilk markets. Compared to a conventional NDSU soybean, the new variety has 3 percent higher protein content.
AgWeek, October 2014
Tomato-mobile
Ford Motor Company is working with Heinz to create sustainable materials for vehicles from tomato fibers. They are looking closely at dried tomato skins that could be utilized for wiring brackets or storage in vehicles (those that hold change and other small items). The idea is currently being tested. Heinz currently uses more than two million tons of tomatoes each year.
Farms.com, June 2014
Plan for keeping crops cool lands prize
Several MIT Sloan students earned a $100,000 grand prize at the first Agricultural Innovation Prize competition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Coolify, a startup founded by several MIT Sloan students took top honors for its plan for a micro-cold storage unit that would reduce food waste in rural India.
Mitsloan.mit.edu, May 2014